BYD probably planning Hungarian plant - Saarlouis out of the running?
According to a media report, the Chinese electric car giant BYD ("Build Your Dream") favors Hungary as the location for its first car factory in Europe. Internally, the decision has been made that the car factory should be built in Hungary, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. The newspaper cites unnamed sources close to the company.
According to an official Chinese website, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán recently visited the BYD headquarters in Shenzhen, China, where he met with company CEO Wang Chuanfu. Orbán was in China in mid-October. He was one of the few European representatives to attend a summit there to mark the tenth anniversary of the Chinese "New Silk Road" trade project.
When asked, BYD explained that the search for a location was still ongoing and that a decision would be announced at the end of the year. The Hungarian government was initially unable to comment. In recent media reports, BYD was also mentioned as a possible interested party for the Ford plant in Saarlouis, which is threatened with closure.
- The potential establishment of BYD's first European car factory could boost Hungarian car manufacturing, as reported by Chinese carmakers' favorable consideration of Hungary as the location for this project.
- In a recent visit to BYD's headquarters in Shenzhen, China, Chinese President Xi Jinping's ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, discussed potential collaborations with BYD's CEO Wang Chuanfu.
- Controversy arose when unconfirmed reports suggested BYD as a potential buyer for the at-risk Ford plant in Saarlouis, Germany, sparking concerns from Chinese electric car enthusiasts about a potential shift in electromobility strategies.
- Hungarian officials have remained silent on BYD's plans for a European manufacturing facility, but the Hungarian business environment is seen as increasingly attractive to Chinese carmakers looking to expand their global footprint in the electric cars market.
Source: www.ntv.de
