Written by Matilde Alves | Edited by Cláudio Afonso
China giant BYD announced on Thursday it is launching its fully electric compact SUV Atto 2 in Europe and the UK.
According to the brand’s executive VP Stella Li, Atto 2 combines “BYD’s advantages in battery technology and vehicle architecture” and a “compact design suited for urban SUV needs”.
Sales for what the company calls the “most accessible SUV” will begin “in the coming weeks”, with prices still unconfirmed. BYD also stated they will be launching a Comfort model in Q3 2025.
“A comprehensive roll-out across all of Europe will then follow during 2025, with pricing to be confirmed by individual countries,” BYD said in a statement.
Founded in 1995, BYD is building its first European passenger car factory in Hungary, the company announced in December 2023, after having expanded to the Hungarian market two months earlier.
The production is expected to start later this year. The company is the first Chinese carmaker to produce locally, avoiding the extra duties announced by the European Commission late last year.
In the UK, BYD started sales two years ago and saw its annual figures reach over 8,700 in 2024 — up 658% from 2023. Last month, the brand sold 1,614 plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles in the country.
Global Expansion
Besides Europe, BYD has expanded production to Southeast Asia and South America. The Shenzhen-based firm inaugurated its first plant in Thailand in July 2023.
The construction of the new plant in Brazil started in early 2024 in an industrial complex previously owned by Ford. It is set to include three factories and is projected to have an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles annually.
In December, the Brazilian Labor Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation on BYD, following an anonymous tip on labor abuses at the site construction.
The automaker is also building a NEV plant and a research and development (R&D) center in Turkey, with investment reaching $1 billion and production expected to start late next year.
BYD’s Global Sales
BYD sold about 4.27 million vehicles in 2024, a 41.26% increase from 2023. In January, sales stood at 300,000 vehicles, up 47.5% year over year. Sales of passenger vehicles outside of China reached a record of 66,336 units, nearly doubling from January 2024.
BYD’s Denza brand is preparing to launch its first station wagon model, with road testing already underway in China. Several images of the BYD Seal 06 Wagon were shared on social media last month, as recently reported by EV.
The upcoming plug-in hybrid will be the wagon variant of the BYD Seal 06 DM-i and will join the Seal 06 GT electric crossover as the third model in the Seal 06 lineup.
Written by Matilde Alves | Edited by Cláudio Afonso
