Chinese electric-vehicle maker BYD is seeking to secure an already-operational factory in southern Europe to serve as its second assembly plant on the continent, a senior company executive said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin during the European launch of the Dolphin G compact electric car, Executive Vice President Stella Li said the automaker would prefer to acquire an existing facility rather than build a new one from scratch. Li identified Spain as one of the countries being considered but did not name other nations under review or provide a timetable for a decision.
Li reiterated that BYD’s immediate focus is to start production at its first European plant in Hungary in the fourth quarter. She previously told Reuters that this represents roughly a one-year delay from the company’s original schedule.
The company has also put plans for a factory in Turkey on hold, according to commentary included in the same set of remarks. Li did not expand on the reasons for deferring the Turkish project.
BYD’s sales performance in Europe has been rapid: volumes increased 270% last year to nearly 188,000 vehicles, and year-to-date through May the company sold more than 100,000 units, an increase of more than double compared with the same period a year earlier.
Manufacturing within the European Union would allow BYD to avoid tariffs that apply to EVs imported from China, a commercial consideration noted as part of the company’s expansion calculus.
Li’s comments in Berlin add clarity to BYD’s expansion approach in Europe - favoring acquisition and conversion of existing industrial capacity while progressing with the Hungary plant as the short-term production priority. Beyond naming Spain as a candidate, the executive did not specify additional locations or set a deadline for a final site selection for the second plant.
For stakeholders in the automotive and manufacturing sectors, the move underscores BYD’s continued push to scale sales across Europe while managing trade and tariff exposures by localizing production.