BYD Could Build Second EV Factory In Europe

BYD may build a second car factory in Europe next year as part of the company’s expansion plan in the Old Continent. This comes just a few months after the Chinese carmaker revealed its first European car assembly plant will be located in the Hungarian city of Szeged.

The carmaker’s European managing director, Michael Shu, spoke about the company’s plans during the recent Financial Times Future of the Car conference in London. One part of BYD’s plans to grow its European sales is to launch a European version of the Seagull.

Read: China’s BYD To Build First Euro Plant In Hungary After Orban’s Courting Pays Off

In China, the Seagull is the smallest and cheapest EV BYD sells, retailing for less than the equivalent of $10,000.  It’s sold with 30.08 kWh and 38.88 kWh battery packs and is driven by a single electric motor with 74 hp and 100 lb-ft (135 Nm). Shu says the European version of the Seagull should cost less than €20,000 (~$21,500) but didn’t say how it will differ from the Chinese model.

While BYD is new to the European market, it has big goals. Shu says the firm wants to be a leading EV maker in Europe by 2030 and a second factory would make this more achievable. BYD’s Hungarian assembly plant will be able to churn out approximately 200,000 vehicles annually but if it wants to be a serious player, it’ll need more cars than that. No indication has been given regarding where BYD’s second European plant could be located.

Shu made his statements while Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Hungary as part of his first European tour in five years, Reuters reports.

BYD settled on Hungary for its first car factory after months of courting from Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The country has said it will provide subsidies to BYD but these will only be publicized when the European Commission approves the deal.