On May 22, the Chinese Daily Economic reported that BYD is discussing the possibility of building a factory in France with the French government.

On the direct question, a BYD spokesperson told CarNewsChina that the company is studying multiple spots for its first European EV plant. BYD previously confirmed that the UK is ruled out due to Brexit, and the final location should be decided this year.

According to sources, BYD is also actively discussing with German and Spain representatives in its search for a suitable location. The production start is set for 2025 when the first made-in-Europe BYD electric PVs will roll for the production line.

The original information comes from the Les Echos report, where the French minister confirmed ongoing negotiations with BYD. According to a previous report from IT House, BYD’s European strategy preferred building new plants instead of taking over existing ones.

On November 2021, BYD halted production of its French e-bus plant due to low demand, and the factory was closed shortly after. At that time, BYD stated they wanted to remain active in the French market despite the closure.

In December last year, BYD’s Vice President Stella Li confirmed that the European plant for electric passenger vehicles is in the making. “Yes, and maybe not only one; it can be two,” she added. In 2022 BYD announced plans to sell vehicles across the continent, including Germany, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, France, and UK. The company is evaluating the best location “to support BYD’s fast ramp-up,” Stella Li concluded.

In 2023, most of these previously announced markets already sell BYD EVs, mainly premium Han sedans and Tang SUVs, which are recently being joined by Atto 3 crossover. In a late development, the Atto 3 was launched in the UK in March.

BYD is recently expanding not new countries where they sell cars but also adding new factories worldwide. In March, BYD laid the foundation stone for their new plant in Thailand, which will start operation in 2024, announced a new factory in Vietnam, and discussed with Phillippines and Indonesia about the same.

And it’s not only Asia and Europe. BYD is considering taking over the old Ford factory in Brazil and is already producing electric buses in the US in their California plant. However, don’t get too excited; BYD will most likely stay only in the bus game in North America and doesn’t plan to move to passenger vehicle production or sales in the US.

Disclaimer: Hat tip provided by Chinese Daily Economic