Chinese EV makers hunt for idled plants in Europe as they expand global influence
BYD, the world’s largest electric car maker, says it is in talks with Stellantis about using European marques’ idled assembly facilities
Their pursuit of idled European assembly facilities owned by big names like Stellantis and Volkswagen is disrupting the pecking order in the global automotive industry, as the Chinese carmakers’ design and manufacturing heft sees them morph into international players.
“China’s EV assemblers are hunting for production sites or facilities in droves,” said Phate Zhang, founder of Shanghai-based data provider CnEVPost. “Indeed, the [overseas asset] buying interest provides a microcosm of the global automotive sector, where emerging Chinese EV builders are set to erode the market share of established conventional petrol car manufacturers.”
The spare capacity could be used to assemble more BYD vehicles as the company expanded its presence in countries like Italy, it said.
Last week, Stellantis said it had deepened its strategic partnership with Chinese EV assembler Leapmotor, in which it owns a 21 per cent stake, aiming to add an EV production line at a Spanish factory that was previously earmarked for petrol-powered Opel units.