The world’s best-selling electric car brand is fast-tracking a big bet on Turkey: On July 22, news surfaced that China’s BYD is speeding up plans to manufacture in the country, eyeing it as a strategic springboard to export EVs into Europe.
A $1 billion BYD factory in Turkey originally slated to begin production at the end of 2026 could now be up and running ahead of schedule, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources. The Chinese EV giant has simultaneously delayed plans to start mass production in Hungary, signaling a major pivot in the automaker's European strategy.
The Turkish plant located northeast of Izmir was initially set to produce up to 150,000 vehicles per year but is now expected to exceed that output by 2027.
Turkey offers strategic advantages for BYD: Labor costs are lower than in European neighbors and Ankara’s customs union with the European Union allows the carmaker to export into the bloc tariff free. That's crucial, as the EU imposed new duties on Chinese-made EVs last year after launching an anti-subsidy probe, with BYD facing a 27% levy.
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