At the 2026 Paris Motor Show, Li Ke, Executive Vice President of BYD, revealed the company’s ambitious European manufacturing plans, confirming that BYD will make large-scale manufacturing investments in Europe, with France now shortlisted as a candidate location for a new plant. Meanwhile, BYD’s first European passenger vehicle factory in Hungary is scheduled to start mass production in the fourth quarter of this year, bringing locally built BYD models to European consumers very soon.

According to BYD’s long-term plan, it will build a second and third vehicle assembly plant as well as a battery factory in Europe, completing a localized production layout covering both complete vehicles and core components. In terms of workforce, BYD expects to employ over 40,000 people in Europe by 2030, transitioning from a Chinese vehicle exporter to a local European automaker. While these plant plans are still in the evaluation stage and final site selection and timeline will be subject to official announcements, they demonstrate BYD’s strong commitment to deepening its presence in Europe, rather than just engaging in export trade.