BYD has begun trial production at its new passenger car plant in Szeged, Hungary, following a slight delay, with full series production expected to start in the second quarter, the city’s mayor said.
Mayor László Botka said the initial trial phase started by the end of January 2026 and that output would be gradually ramped up over the coming years to a planned capacity of 200,000 vehicles annually. Employment at the site is also expected to increase progressively.
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“At this stage, trial production has started, and full-scale series production is planned for the second quarter,” Botka said during a public event announcing the update.
BYD had previously reaffirmed at IAA Mobility in September that it aimed to begin production in Hungary before the end of 2025. While the project has slipped by several months, the company has said the delay does not materially alter its broader European expansion plans.
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The Szeged plant currently employs about 960 workers, mostly local hires alongside a number of guest workers from Asia, according to local media. The factory was built on a 300-hectare site assembled from multiple private land purchases, a process that involved legal disputes and extended timelines, Botka said.
BYD first announced plans in late 2023 to bring the Hungarian plant online within three years, later accelerating the schedule to target an end-2025 opening. Shortly before that deadline, Stella Li, a top BYD executive, said construction would be completed by year-end, with series production starting in the first half of 2026.
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The first model expected to be produced at the Hungarian facility is the Dolphin Surf, the compact electric car sold in China as the BYD Seagull. “The Dolphin Surf will lead the BYD vehicles built in Europe for Europe,” Li said at the Munich auto show.
Hungary has become central to BYD’s European strategy. The company has produced electric buses in Komárom since 2017 and operates battery assembly plants in Fót and Páty. In 2025, BYD also relocated its European headquarters from the Netherlands to Budapest, alongside a new research and development centre focused on intelligent driving and electric vehicle technologies.
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BYD is also preparing to open a second European passenger car plant in Turkey later this year, with vehicles produced there exempt from EU tariffs under a customs union arrangement. The company is additionally considering a third European plant, with Spain cited as a potential location, according to industry sources.
eletric-vehicles, hungarianconservative
