Chinese car giant BYD has promised a whole range of new electric and plug-in hybrid models that will be specifically designed in Europe to appeal to European buyers.
Speaking in BYD’s home city of Shenzhen in southern China, BYD’s Alfredo Altavilla, who works with the company as a special adviser for the European market, said: “There's no doubt that Chinese customer needs and European customer needs are differentiating even more as we speak. It is hard to find any new Chinese model shorter than 4.8 meters – dimensions in this country keep on growing.”
Altavilla continued: “The relevance of the size of the trunk is nothing in China. The size of the roominess for rear passengers is what’s most important. This is exactly the opposite than it is in Europe.
“So, the decision that BYD made two years ago to develop a European portfolio is the main reason why our sales in Europe keep on growing at pace, and you will have a proof of that next week with the introduction of the Dolphin G.
“The Dolphin G is the first BYD model that has been designed for Europe and that will not be sold here in China – it's Europe for Europe. No other Chinese OEM has a similar commitment to our region. And this is just the first. “
Altavilla added: “This comes together with the radical changes that BYD’s R&D team has been making to products that are currently sold in Europe, which have dedicated chassis, for instance. The usage of multi-link suspension has been developed to cope with the European requirements because customer habits are completely different.
“The speed limit in China is 90 kilometres per hour [56 mph]. In Europe you need to make cars good for Autobahn. You need to make cars for the potholes in the UK. You need to make cars good for the mountain roads in Italy. So, this requires a lot of dedicated R&D in Europe, which is the reason why we're building the R&D team in Budapest and that's why we have the design team in Milan.”
BYD will open its first European factory in Hungary in the coming months, with company executive vice-president Stella Li also saying that further production capacity in Europe would be useful. Conversations are ongoing to see if using an existing European car plant might be possible. “We are now very open to seeking to find a new facility in addition to the existing one,” Li said.
BYD currently has a range of six all-electric models on sale in the UK and a further four plug-in hybrid models. The new Dolphin G supermini plug-in hybrid – set to be the smallest and cheapest plug-in hybrid model, and with a combined petrol and electric range of over 600 miles – will arrive soon, as will the BYD Ti7, a full-size SUV to rival the Land Rover Discovery and Land Rover Defender.
Altavilla had previously told The Independent that every single BYD model, with the exception of the smallest BYD Dolphin Surf, will be available as both an all-electric model and a plug-in hybrid in future.
BYD is also investing in its own ultra-fast Flash Charging EV charger network for the UK, which is claimed to be capable of topping up an electric car’s battery in a similar time to filling a car with petrol or diesel.
BYD’s growth in the UK has been spectacular since it arrived in 2023. Last year it sold 51,422 cars, giving it a 2.54 per cent market share. Yet in the first four months of 2026, it has already sold over double that, with 26,396 sales and a market share of 3.45 per cent.
