We know that BYD, backed by Warren Buffet, is looking to expand. While we already knew that they were preparing to launch various electric vehicles in Europe this year. They are also looking to start production. InsideEVs confirmed that BYD has confirmed its outlook to begin manufacturing.
Image credits – Electrek
Autocar spoke with Brian Yang, Deputy General Manager of BYD Europe, and when asked if it was possible to locate production in Europe, he said, “We are seriously considering some localization plans. We don’t have a solid plan. We’ve just started to learn, to really understand the beliefs of our clients, and if all goes well and we build all the foundations and structure here, it could lead to some localization.
BYD is a world leader when it comes to selling what are known in China as “New Energy Vehicles” (or NEVs for short, a term that encompasses electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles). Fuel cell). In the first six months of 2022, BYD sold nearly 650,000 NEVs, which it currently builds at its five factories, all located in China. It also builds batteries for electric vehicles from other automakers, including Tesla.
Partnerships
If BYD goes ahead with plans to build a plant in Europe, it could seek a partnership with an established automaker that is already active on the Old Continent. It’s not nearly as common as European automakers signing joint ventures to help them build cheaper cars in China, but BYD isn’t the only automaker to have expressed a desire to build cars in Europe. with the help of a local partner.
Nio, for example, also announced European manufacturing ambitions and strongly suggested working with a local OEM to achieve this. However, since Nio made this public, it has only confirmed the opening of its Nio Power Europe factory in Hungary (focused on battery swapping stations, not car building) and the announcement of a real car manufacturing site and local partners is yet to come.
According to German media, BYD’s three series, planned for Europe, are the all-electric Tang EV SUV already offered in Norway, the Han EV electric sedan and the Atto 3. The latter model is a compact SUV sold in La China as Yuan Plus. The company does not want to name concrete sales targets for entering other European markets after Norway. Penny Peng, head of marketing at BYD Europe, told a press conference in The Hague that European customers should slowly get used to the new vehicle offering from China. “We just have to be humble,” Peng said.
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