Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD plans to begin mass production at its factory in Szeged, southern Hungary, during the fourth quarter of 2026. The automaker is also preparing a recruitment drive that could increase its European workforce to more than 40,000 by 2030, while considering additional production facilities in France and Spain.
Stella Li, BYD’s executive vice president and head of international operations, confirmed the production timetable in an interview with Bloomberg TV during the Paris Motor Show on October 12.
The Szeged investment, previously valued at approximately €4 billion by Reuters, represents BYD’s first European passenger-car manufacturing facility and is intended to support the company’s growing presence in the European Union.
Szeged factory targets an initial capacity of 150,000 vehicles annually
The manufacturing complex occupies approximately 300 hectares near Szeged, with an initial planned annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles and longer-term plans to expand that figure to 300,000.
During a factory visit in April 2026, Szeged Mayor László Botka and Chinese Ambassador Gong Tao inspected the final assembly facility, where production lines had already been installed and were undergoing testing.
The 170,000-square-metre assembly building is expected to manufacture the BYD Dolphin Surf and Atto 2 models, according to information published by the Szeged municipal news portal.
BYD sales in Hungary jump 266% in the first nine months
The planned start of domestic manufacturing follows a significant increase in BYD’s vehicle sales. BYD sold 3,482 battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in Hungary during the first nine months of 2026, representing a 266% increase compared with the same period a year earlier.
Of those vehicles, 1,839 were fully electric, making BYD the country’s leading brand in the battery-electric segment. Its overall share of the Hungarian new passenger-car market reached 3.21%, placing it eleventh among all brands.
