Chinese EV business to rival Elon Musk's Tesla will open branch in Bucks
A Chinese equivalent to Tesla is set to move to the Buckinghamshire/Berkshire border.
BYD Auto, which specialises in battery electric vehicles and is best known for being behind London's new electric double-decker bus, will team up with ARC in Denham in order to expand on its presence on UK soil, whilst rivalling Elon Musk's business in the environmentally-friendly car market.
It has taken over 27,000 sq. ft in Building 05 and chosen the campus for its UK HQ, which is focused on making public transport across Europe emission free.
Andrew Davies, Leasing Director at ARC, said: 'We're delighted to welcome BYD to ARC Uxbridge.
'This is an exciting addition to our vibrant community, and we're looking forward to introducing and integrating BYD into our group-wide energy tech cluster.
'BYD's innovative approach perfectly complements ARC's innovation ecosystem.'
The site will be based along Sanderson Road in the village.
A statement from ARC reads: ARC Uxbridge is a connected innovation campus sitting within 70 acres of London's green belt.
'It is designed to foster creativity, innovation and collaboration, from the spaces such as Adapt, a dynamic co-working hub for campus' members, the Clubhouse, a café, seminar and meeting place, through the specially curated member's event programme and the surrounding green parkland, with trails, sport pitches and fishing lake.'
The news comes at a good time for the Chinese company, as they have announced a year-to-year increase of 29 per cent in which they have made £83 billion in revenue.
According to the BBC, BYD have now leapfrogged Tesla as the number one electrical vehicle company in the world at the time of writing.
This comes after Elon Musk has been criticized for his close relationship with current US President Donald Trump, which has led to a drop in sales and a number of Telsas being damaged.
Additionally, Chinese car markers have been hit with tariffs in several Western nations, leading to a rise being sold in other countries.
Speaking at Car Dealer Live at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Stellantis's UK chief, Eurig Druce, called for 'free trade' to remain in place.
He said: ' I don't need taxation tariffs to be the way forward.
'It will create a lazy industry and it won't create the competitive nature that we need.
'We don't need barriers to free trade. I think we've invested billions as manufacturers into industry-leading technology, across full EV but also hybrid.
'What we need now are measures that are going to accelerate demand for those vehicles that we are making and a market which is confident.'
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