German media a month ago Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung revealed that colossal Chinese BYD Leader in electric vehicle production (Build Your Dreams), He chose Hungary to establish the first automobile factory on the continent.. The news frustrated other shortlisted countries’ bids to take over the facility. among them was Spain and more specifically Vigo and Galicia, where the highly specialized automotive field is at the forefront. Now the country and the region are in the race again. Jordi Cuesta, managing director of BYD Iberiainformation pointing to Hungary in an interview “They are not official”during He assured that there would be “multiple” facilities and that Spain was “an important candidate for associated investments”. production either in the first round or in subsequent rounds.
Jordi Cuesta confirmed what they were doing in an interview with Europa Press within the framework of the presentation of BYD Seal, a D-segment sedan with up to 530 HP, where the brand offers “all the technology”. He reports that the European management of the group will announce which will be the first factory the company will establish in Europe at the end of the year.
In this regard, he stated at the time of the award that investment assistance programs would be “closely considered” to “take into account within the equation which is the best option.”
Cuesta explained this Spain “always one of the best” clusters in automotive and current transformation, programs Perte VEC (Electric and Connected Vehicle) is helping other manufacturers “invest heavily in electrification” and becoming a reference point in the sector in Spain. “Spain are playing their cards very well with Perte,” the coach said. “Selfishly and for my own sake, I would be very happy if it landed here, next to my house.”
However, so far BYD has not participated in either the first or second edition of Perte VEC, at least in the battery-related branch. Time will tell whether Stellantis Vigo also does this in relation to the value chain it targets, but according to Cuesta’s words, everything indicates that if it gets into Perte, it will be on the third call. Someone who already works in the Industry.
Models
BYD, although its influence in Galicia is still very limited One of the Chinese brands looking to attack the Spanish market. After the presentation BYD SealCuesta assured that they were the only company to come up with five 100% electric models in their first year and said that the company was “very happy” to have completed the first phase of its life in Spain. “Take more steps” for next year.
As the manager explained, this first phase consisted of launching a commercial network. There are currently 11 official dealers; This number is expected to reach 20 next year, as well as spreading the company’s message and explaining who they are. “We are aware that we are not recognized by Spain, and we are working hard to make it known that we are number one in the production of rechargeable cars,” Cuesta emphasized.
For this reason, he stated that they are evaluating both new models and versions of existing models for the coming year, so they expect a “very busy and fun” year 2024.
Jordi Cuesta thinks that there is a “very good intention” in public institutions to promote demand for electric mobility, but the efficiency and implementation of benefits, as well as the management of these or benefits, need to be “significantly improved”. Pricing in terms of interoperability of networks and transparency of price information. “What matters at the end of the road is the customer’s charging experience, and I think there’s still a lot to do in that experience,” he explained.
EU investigation
About investigation opened by European Commission Against China for “illegal aid”Regarding the award given to electric vehicle manufacturers, Cuesta assured that they “cooperate at all levels” on every issue requested. “In this respect we don’t have any problems”.
“We have full confidence in any request for information because we are very calm”, emphasized the manager.