BYD, Geely, Xpeng: Germany’s Vaunted Auto Industry in Dire Straits Amid Chinese Surge
The numbers of Chinese cars on European roads is skyrocketing as carmakers from the People’s Republic rush to build factories in the EU. Germany’s traditional brands are struggling to respond.
In the outskirts of Szeged, Hungary, a procession of Chinese construction workers begins their journey to a new factory. These workers, either on foot or riding bicycles, cross a dusty field and a newly paved road en route to the plant, which bears the company name BYD – China's largest automaker and the world's largest electric-vehicle manufacturer.
The factory, set to be a European first for BYD, spans roughly the size of Berlin's Tempelhofer Feld park and boasts facilities such as a welding shop, a press shop, a paint facility, offices, and even apartments. The ambitious project, with a price tag of around 4 billion euros, aims to manufacture up to 300,000 vehicles annually.
As the sun blazes overhead at 39 degrees Celsius, the once-dilapidated area is about to undergo a transformation, marking a significant shift in Germany's vaunted auto industry amid a surge from China.
Written by urgent.news from Der Spiegel Intl's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
