BYD wants to take over underutilized plants in Europe from legacy automakers to fuel its aggressive overseas expansion. Executive vice president Stella Li confirmed that BYD is holding discussions not only with Stellantis but also with “other companies too.”
BYD closes in on Stellantis’ plant in Europe for EVs
“We are talking to not only Stellantis, we’re talking to other companies too,” Li told Bloomberg during an interview at the Financial Times Future of the Car conference in London on Wednesday.
The comments come as BYD doubles down on overseas markets, including Europe, to drive growth this year. Li said the company has seen an uptick in demand for electric vehicles, as gas and oil prices have soared due to the US-Iran war.
Although April marked BYD’s eighth consecutive month of lower sales than the year prior, overseas sales continued to rise at a record pace.
BYD sold 135,000 vehicles overseas last month, up 70% from April 2025 and its highest to date. Through the first four months of 2026, China’s EV leader sold 456,253 vehicles overseas, almost half a million.
In several key markets, such as the UK, BYD is now the best-selling EV brand through April, having outsold Tesla, Kia, and all major European OEMs.
According to Li, who is also in charge of the company’s overseas expansion, BYD is “looking for any available plant in Europe” to utilize spare capacity there. The company is discussing potential deals to take over underutilized plants in Italy and other European countries.
Instead of establishing a joint venture, BYD would prefer to own and operate the facility independently, Li explained.
BYD began trial production at its new facility in Hungary earlier this year and is expected to open its $1 billion EV plant in Turkey by the end of 2026.
Li’s comments come just days after Stellantis revealed plans to take its partnership with China’s Leapmotor “to the next level. The companies are discussing plans to add a new production line at Stellantis’ Figuruelas plant in Spain to build a new Opel electric SUV and Leapmotor’s B10 SUV.
Stellantis is discussing transferring ownership of the plant to Leapmotor International’s (LPMI) Spanish subsidiary.
BYD also launched its Denza luxury sub-brand in Europe this year, bringing its new Blade Battery 2.0 and 5-minute flash charging tech with it.
The Denza Z9 GT is now on sale in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, with plans to expand to 30 countries by the end of 2026
Electrek’s Take
A wave of low-cost domestic rivals has sparked another EV price war in China. To drive growth this year, BYD and other leading Chinese EV brands are aggressively expanding overseas, targeting Europe, Southeast Asia, and other key global markets.
While BYD is holding discussions with Stellantis and other companies, Ford is reportedly in “very advanced” talks with Volvo owner Geely to sell a part of its Valencia plant in Spain.
Legacy OEMs are struggling to keep up with lower-priced, and oftentimes more advanced, Chinese electric vehicles. To stay competitive, many are now seeking similar deals with Chinese brands.
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