Central and Eastern Europe remains the focus of Chinese EV makers’ push to localise production and avoid EU trade barriers. Below we list the latest verified plans, timelines and shifts for BYD, Geely (via Volvo/Polestar), Leapmotor and Great Wall Motor across CEE.

Hungary — BYD (Szeged)

BYD’s greenfield passenger‑car factory outside Szeged is now scheduled to begin assembly in the fourth quarter of 2026, company executives told Reuters in June 2026. BYD said it is still installing equipment and has made the Hungarian site its top European priority; a planned Turkish plant is on hold while Europe takes precedence.

Slovakia — Geely / Volvo (Košice)

Volvo Cars (part of Geely Holding) announced a new all‑electric plant near Košice and said series production of next‑generation BEVs was planned to start in 2026; later reporting and company updates pushed large‑scale ramping toward early 2027 to align product launch timing. The Košice facility is being built as a €1.2bn‑class project with an advertised peak capacity in the hundreds of thousands of units, and Volvo has already begun recruitment and test‑vehicle output ahead of full scale‑up.

Poland & Slovenia — Leapmotor (Stellantis tie‑ups and production shifts)

Leapmotor’s European production footprint has been uneven. Stellantis assembled Leapmotor’s small T03 at its Tychy plant between mid‑2024 and early 2025, but that line stopped in March/April 2025 amid wider political and commercial pressures; Reuters reported the partners had also dropped plans for a second model in Poland in late 2024. Since then Stellantis‑Leapmotor industrial activity has shifted toward Spain for larger models, while T03 supply reverted to imports from China.

Bulgaria — Great Wall Motor (Lovech announcement)

GWM has disclosed plans to establish a production base in Lovech, Bulgaria, with the company’s management stating the first vehicle was expected in Q1 2027 and an initial annual capacity cited at roughly 50,000 units as lines are retooled for NEV output. That timeline and capacity were disclosed by GWM executives at industry events in late‑2026 reporting.

What this means for the market

The picture across CEE is a mix of confirmed greenfield projects, factory commissioning delays and re‑routing of production to manage tariffs and political risk. BYD’s Szeged timing (Q4 2026) will let it start local assembly before a wider ramp in 2027; Volvo/Geely’s Košice plant is moving test and limited production in 2026 with large‑scale output pushed toward early 2027. Leapmotor’s brief Tychy run (mid‑2024 to Mar/Apr 2025) underlined the political sensitivity of China‑EU industrial ties and pushed Stellantis and Leapmotor to pursue alternative European lines. GWM’s Lovech announcement signals further localisation intent in the Balkans, but the firm timetable and local supplier content will be the telling details to watch.

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Sources: Reuters, Volvo Cars, AutoExpress, AutoSignal