From Asian promise to reality in transformation, Byd – The Chinese giant of electric vehicles – radically reviews its approach to the European market and aims to conquer the old continent. After a beginning marked by excessive optimism and an evident underestimation of the complexities of the local context, the car manufacturer has started a profound renovation of its operations in Europe. This was reported by a signature by Reuters, which highlights how the turning point passed through a change of strategy and, above all, for a new governance entrusted to key figures from the European automotive industry.
The first ambitions by Byd in Europe – according to the sources close to the company – they were based on projections that proved to be very little adhering to reality. The forecast of the previous European manager, Michael Shu, was to reach a market share of 5% before even the inauguration of the new production plant in Hungary. At the end of 2024, however, the penetration of Byd stopped at 2.8 percent, with about 57 thousand units sold: a significant figure, but far from expectations.
To correct the course, Byd has invested in human capital, relying on an unprecedented recruitment campaign. Objective: to attract European managers with experience on the field, capable of reading the dynamics of the individual markets. Among the prominent names there are Maria Grazia Davino, commissioned to preside over Germany and central Europe, Alessandro Grosso for Italy and Alberto De Aza for Spain. All managers from Stellantisso much so that an internal source of the group admitted: “We were not happy at all to lose them”.
The urgency of Byd to grow in Europe derives in part from its sales record in China, which have increased exponentially from 2020 to today, reaching 4.2 million vehicles in 2024. The house exceeded Tesla last year as the first world seller of electric vehicles and is now the sixth global car manufacturer. Europe has been in the sight for some time, we said, but now the first signs of the relaunch on the continent are evident: sales in Europe, the United Kingdom included, are more than tripled in the first quarter of 2025, reaching over 37,000 vehicles, compared to the approximately 8,500 of the first quarter of 2024.
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