BYD Will Produce Electric Vehicles in Europe Next Year

BYD‘s global expansion is still ongoing, and next year the company will produce its best-selling models Dolphin and Atto 3 in Europe.

In an interview with the German business magazine Capital, Li Ke, head of BYD’s European region, revealed that BYD is building a large production base in Hungary and will start capacity expansion by the end of 2025. Li Ke stated that initially BYD planned to produce the micro electric car Seagull in Europe first, but the company adjusted its production priorities and will first produce Dolphin and Atto 3. Foreign media speculate that this may be due to higher expected sales for Dolphin and Atto 3.

Li Ke also mentioned that it will take two to three years for the capacity ramp-up at the Hungarian factory. Following Dolphin and Atto 3, BYD also plans to produce a third model in Europe positioned between the two. Li Ke referred to it as “Atto 2,” which is expected to be a modified version of Yuan UP launched earlier this year in China. This new car is noticeably smaller than Atto 3 and features a more rugged design style. In addition, Seagull will become the fourth model produced at this factory.

Ultimately, this factory will be able to simultaneously produce twelve different models. By then, BYD will no longer import cars from China.

BYD faces a tough challenge to establish itself in the European market. In 2024, the growth rate of electric vehicle sales in the entire European region is expected to slow down. To address this challenge, BYD is expected to introduce more plug-in hybrid models in the European market.

In October of this year, Li Ke announced that in response to import tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, BYD will produce most of its electric vehicles locally for sale in Europe. To achieve this, BYD is establishing a new supply chain in Europe and will assemble battery packs in Hungary and Turkey, importing only battery cells from China.

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