BYD to Begin Mass Production at Szeged Plant in Late 2026

Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD is pressing ahead with its expansion in Europe. Executive Vice President Stella Li said in an interview with Bloomberg TV that the company plans to begin mass production at its plant in Szeged, southern Hungary, in the fourth quarter of 2026. Preparations at the site have entered their final phase.

The launch of production will mark a historic milestone for BYD, as the Szeged facility is the company’s first passenger car manufacturing plant in Europe. Local production is expected to shorten transportation routes, reduce reliance on imports, avoid EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, and allow the company to respond more quickly to the needs of European customers.

The start of mass production is part of an ambitious hiring strategy.

BYD plans to expand its European workforce to more than 40,000 employees by 2030.

Stella Li, who oversees the company’s international business, emphasized that BYD’s European workforce is expected to exceed 10,000 in the near future.

The Chinese automaker is positioning itself to become one of the largest non-European employers in the continent’s automotive industry. It remains unclear how many of the planned 40,000 jobs will be based in Hungary, or how they will be divided among manufacturing, research and development, and sales. The scale of the target, however, signals that BYD has ambitions beyond simply exporting vehicles to Europe. The company is working to establish a fully integrated automotive operation on the continent.

Recruitment is a key part of that strategy.

As many established European automakers, particularly in Germany, grapple with excess capacity, cost pressures, model transitions, and job cuts, BYD sees an opportunity to recruit skilled workers.

Stella Li said the company intends to target professionals who have been laid off by traditional automakers. This could mean that some jobs eliminated by German and other European manufacturers may reappear at their Chinese competitor. However, there is currently no official partnership or structured hiring program tied to any specific German plant. For now, Stella Li’s comments reflect BYD’s broader recruitment strategy.

The plant in southeastern Hungary will serve as the foundation for the company’s European expansion. BYD is also exploring locations for additional facilities, with France and Spain among the potential candidates for future production sites.

For Hungary, the Szeged project represents a major economic and industrial policy achievement. It remains to be seen whether, and to what extent, the plant will benefit from restructuring in Germany’s automotive industry. However, BYD’s plans point to a potential shift in the balance of power across Europe’s automotive sector.

Via MTI, Featured image: Hungary Today

The post BYD to Begin Mass Production at Szeged Plant in Late 2026 appeared first on Hungary Today.