China's biggest EV maker will develop future models specifically for European tastes
BYD, the Chinese car maker whose Seal U was the UK's top-selling plug-in hybrid in May, believes it is about to introduce more models more quickly than any car company ever has before.
Speaking at the UK launch of the Dolphin Surf, Alfredo Altavilla, BYD's special advisor for Europe (and former COO at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and chairman of ITA Airways) said: 'I have zero problem in saying I don't think there has ever been such a product offensive done in Europe as the one that BYD is doing.
'We have been launching six cars in less than a year. We are covering all of the most important segments of the European car market and the Dolphin Surf was the missing piece in the A/B-segment.'
In addition to new models sold under the mainstream BYD brand, the company – already the biggest producer of EVs in the world – will add models from brands less well known in Europe. These include Denza, which targets premium German marques, and Yangwang, which is said to be a technology leader. When BYD introduces new tech, Denza and Yangwang will receive it first, with BYD models following later.
'We're going to get together again after the summer break for another important reveal, and through the end of the year, there will be others. All this is fundamentally building the image of a brand where technology never stops, and this is allowing a set of new cars to be available in Europe in really no time,' said Altavilla.
The first Dolphin Surfs to go on sale in the UK have been built in China but production will begin before the end of the year at a new factory in Hungary, where BYD has its European base. The aim is not only to make cars for Europe locally but also to design and engineer them for Europe. The Dolphin Surf has arrived now, 18 months behind deliveries in China and South America, as a result of re-engineering the car to suit European tastes.
'As we go forward into 2026, more and more of the BYD line-up will be specific to this region and this is a big step forward compared to the other Asian brands,' Altavilla said. 'BYD top management has clearly seen that if you want to play big in Europe, you have to have a dedicated product line-up and this is what we will have.'
BYD, which has taken a 2% market share in recent months in the UK, intends to be one of Europe's top-selling car makers. 'With the technology we have, coupled with the localisation of the production of the most important cars, we have everything we need to be one of the key players,' said Altavilla. 'Whether it's number one, one of the big three, one of the big five, it doesn't matter, but [BYD will be] one of the big players in the region.'
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