Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer BYD held a ceremony on Friday to lay the foundation stone for the project of expanding its electric bus and truck plant in Komarom, northern Hungary, marking a significant step in the company's European operation growth strategy.
The investment project includes the development of a new 29,000-square-meter production facility, expected to generate over 600 new jobs in the region.
Once the expansion is completed, the state-of-the-art plant will triple its current production capacity, enabling the annual manufacturing of more than 1,000 electric buses and trucks. This expansion is aimed at meeting the growing demand for zero-emission transport solutions across Europe.
The BYD opened the Komarom plant in 2017. Since then, they've produced more than 700 electric buses, including new 18-meter articulated models.
"Our bus has very good quality, very good energy consumption," said Zhang Daochun, managing director of BYD Europe Commercial Vehicle Business Center.
Speaking at the ceremony, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto emphasized the strategic importance of the investment project. He described the BYD as a dynamically expanding company and said that Hungary has boarded an express train that many in Europe are still trying to catch. "In Hungary, we choose connection and mutual respect. We believe in working together globally. This is a great opportunity - when East and West join forces, big things happen. Hungary and China working together are [is] already delivering real results," said Szijjarto.
The new facility will also feature a dedicated research and development test lab, further strengthening Hungary's role in the region's electric vehicle manufacturing sector.
"Komarom is a very important city for Hungary and this city is very friendly to us, no matter [whether it comes to] employees, no matter [whether it comes to the local] community, [the] environment, no matter [whether it come to] taxi [service]. Everything is very good for us. That's one of the reasons why we want to expand our plant here," Zhang said.
In addition to the Komarom project, the company is building its first European passenger car plant in Szeged in southern Hungary, and plans to establish its European headquarters and research and development center in Budapest.
With its electric buses having already covered over 590 million km across Europe and contributing to cutting the emission of more than 630,000 tons of carbon dioxide, the BYD has established itself as a leading force in the region's electric mobility sector.
BYD expands electric bus, truck plant in Hungary
