Romania may have lost the race for BYD's first European car plant to Hungary, but the Chinese giant is far from finished with the country. Its factory in Szeged sits close to the Romanian border and is slated to begin series production by the end of this year, with four models destined for the European market rolling off its lines. According to a more recent report, trial production at the Hungarian site has already begun, with series output slated for the fourth quarter of 2026.
While Szeged ramps up, BYD's attention has swung back to Romania. Stella Li — who heads BYD Europe, leads the Chinese group's expansion activities worldwide and ranks among the best-known businesswomen in the global auto industry — came to Bucharest, where she met the local team and set out the company's next moves. Her ask was blunt: "We need the support of the authorities."
The Romania agenda she outlined has two visible pillars. The first is infrastructure: BYD is planning charging stations in the country, each carrying a price tag of €400,000–500,000, a bet that cannot land without official backing. The second is supply: Li is scouting Romanian component makers as potential suppliers for BYD's European factories — a door opening for local firms even though the assembly plant itself went to Hungary.
