Even before BYD is ready to build cars in Europe, the EU has suspected the Chinese brand of cheating with the factory in Hungary. Satellite images show another factory.
Satellite images indicate that the Chinese car brand BYD is in the process of building yet another factory, this time in Turkey.
BYD competes globally with manufacturers like Tesla to build the most electric cars. But unlike Tesla, BYD is storming the Chinese market.
In 2024, BYD sold over 4 million cars globally. The group was originally known for electric cars in a lower price segment. While in Europe they are probably more notorious for copying everything from Mercedes' design to BMW's logo.
Now the focus is on international expansion, and the new satellite images, published by German WiWo , confirm that the Chinese are in full swing building a factory in Turkey.
BYD is already building a factory in Szeged, Hungary, where electric buses will initially be built.
The plan is then to build electric cars to circumvent the tariffs the EU has imposed on all electric cars imported from China.
The new factory in Turkey is set to further boost production. But whether it will result in the employment of over 200,000 new people in just three months, as BYD has previously embarked on, is immediately more doubtful.
Satellite images show a large construction site in Manisa, Turkey. The factory is expected to start sending cars onto the roads by the end of 2025.
At the same time, there is an expectation that the Chinese will hire at least 5,000 people to work at the factory in Turkey alone.
BYD's global expansion also includes other regions, but has faced challenges. In South America, the company faced resistance in Brazil, where construction of a factory was temporarily halted because authorities believe working conditions are too poor.
At the same time, construction of a factory in Indonesia continues, which is expected to be one of the fastest-completed foreign projects for BYD.
The goal for some of BYD's factories is an annual production capacity of up to 500,000 cars. However, the brand may have difficulty getting off the ground with the coaches.
At least in Denmark, where several politicians at Christiansborg support a proposal from the Liberal Party that would prohibit Chinese brands from bidding on public tenders.
