BYD wants to set up a factory in Europe. The government is trying to seduce the Chinese brand for an installation in France.
By reviewing the ecological bonus, Emmanuel Macron wants to put a spoke in the wheels of Chinese manufacturers, ready to invade the French market with their low-cost electric cars. On the other hand, the government could roll out the red carpet for a Chinese brand that wants to have a factory in Europe.
This is the case of BYD, which is working on the project of a mega-factory of electric vehicles in Europe, a territory where it has very big ambitions. It is indeed targeting 800,000 sales on the Old Continent by the end of the decade. And faced with the threat of removed bonuses or import taxes, the manufacturer knows that it is preferable to set up locally.
Inevitably, such a plant arouses covetousness. Several countries are in the running, including Germany, Spain and France. A French ministerial source told the Echos that “discussions are continuing with BYD”. However, there was no brand representative at the recent Choose France summit.
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Among the selection criteria set by BYD, there is the presence close to a port, a placement in the heart of the markets served and a proximity to the gigafactory of batteries which will supply the car factory. The north of France ticks all these boxes, it will become a stronghold of battery production, attracting at the same time the associated subcontractors.
To convince BYD, France will above all take out the aid checkbook, as it did to win the establishment of the Taiwanese ProLogium gigafactory. As part of the Green Industry bill, the executive also intends to simplify the procedures for setting up new factories, particularly on identified wastelands.
