EU-China Relations

BYD plans to hire 30,000 in Europe – aims for more factories

Chinese automaker BYD plans to increase its European workforce from just under 10,000 to 40,000 by 2030, CEO Stella Li told Bloomberg TV.

News broke today that the EU intends to halve imports of Chinese hybrid cars from current levels. BYD is already gearing up to launch production in Europe at its new plant in Hungary, thereby bypassing import restrictions.

BYD aims to build additional European factories, with Spain and France among the countries under consideration, CEO Li said.

Meanwhile, European automotive groups like Volkswagen are struggling; there is talk of cutting the workforce by more than 100,000 jobs in the coming years.

EU curbs the rise of Chinese hybrid cars

The EU will limit imports of Chinese hybrid cars to 350,000 per year starting in 2027, AFP reports. This is less than half of the up to 800,000 cars expected to be imported this year.

The announcement follows an agreement reached last week between the EU and China to avert a trade war.

Since the EU imposed additional tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in 2024, Chinese manufacturers have increasingly focused on hybrid cars. During the first half of 2026, the value of China’s hybrid vehicle exports to the EU tripled to the equivalent of approximately SEK 75 billion, according to Reuters.

At the same time, China’s Ministry of Commerce states that the agreement is intended to secure continued exports and stable growth for Chinese companies, Bloomberg reports.