Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD plans to build all electric vehicles (EVs) for Europe locally by 2028, according to executive vice president Stella Li.
“We are training ourselves to be more European in production,” Li told Reuters during the IAA Mobility car show in Munich. The executive added it would take the company “two to three years” to produce the EVs needed to supply European demand.
The automaker is currently building a factory in Hungary, with operations set to start by year-end. It recently selected Austrian steelmaker voestalpine to supply the factory in Szeged.
In addition, Li confirmed the recently launched compact EV Dolphin Surf would be the first car made in the upcoming Hungary facility.
“Europe is a tremendously important market for us, so it’s natural to confirm here, at the region’s largest auto show of 2025, that our iconic Dolphin Surf will be the first car that we manufacture in Hungary,” the executive said in a statement seen by Kallanish. “We’ve been consistent with our commitment to this project and we’re really excited to start selling cars produced in Europe.”
BYD offers 13 models in Europe, of which battery electric vehicles (BEVs) face a 27% tariff.
Facing the price war in the Chinese market, BYD recently reported a net profit of CNY 6.36 billion ($891.9m) for the second quarter, marking a 29.9% drop year-on-year.
According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), BYD ranked second among complete vehicle exporters in the first half of the year, with export volume surging 130% y-o-y, and recorded the fastest growth rate among the top ten complete vehicle exporters.
Kallanish Asia , Reethu Ravi UK
