Automotive

Stella Li (Byd): 'Italy on the short list for the second factory in Europe'

'We are a global technology company, we will seize every opportunity'. According to Alfredo Altavilla, Byd will conquer the Old Continent market in every segment

by Mario Cianflone and Simonluca Pini. From Munich

9 September 2025

3' min read

3' min read

Byd launches its biggest challenge starting from Europe, but it is not an onslaught of car-loaded ships as in the past months but a desire to conquer the market on the old continent, local partners, skills and know-how.

Chinese strategy

Stella Li, Byd's Executive Vice President, at the Munich mobility show, where the Chinese manufacturer presented the first super hybrid station wagon, the Seal 6 Dm-i, makes it clear that the old continent is central to the growth strategy aiming to be one of the top three manufacturers in Europe within the next five years.

But not only that, there are also chances for our country. "Italy,' he says in an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore, 'is on the short list for the second factory in Europe (the first is in Hungary and is starting production of the Dolphin Surf). We need a second plant and, in the future, we will also need a battery plant. The choice clashes with energy costs, infrastructure, bureaucracy. I think that now, if you look at the comparison with other countries, the cost of energy is the biggest obstacle, which makes Italy not the most competitive nation'.

Competitiveness, which for Byd is a key element of growth as it not only aims to be present in every sector, but to do so by becoming relevant in every segment.

Decline in registrations

Aspiration which, at the moment, is running up against a drop in registrations.

Byd has revised its 2025 sales targets downwards, from 5.5 million to 4.6 million cars (-16%). The decision, which has already been communicated to suppliers and partners, reflects the slowdown in growth after years of record highs: in the second quarter of 2025, profits fell by 30% year-on-year, the first negative sign in more than three years. The main causes are difficult market conditions and strong domestic competition in China (worth 80% of sales), especially from Geely and Leapmotor. Despite the cut, the 2025 target remains 7% year-on-year growth, but at the lowest pace since 2020.

Numbers are falling not only for Byd but for the entire European automotive sector, with many manufacturers and companies in the sector (including Italian ones such as Maserati and Italdesign) in great difficulty and close, according to various analysts, to major changes of ownership.

Just on 'European shopping', Stella Li leaves the door open for possible acquisitions: 'Our first commitment is to expand our plant in Hungary and reach full production capacity by next year. It is not easy but we want to achieve it by involving more local suppliers. On the other hand, we will see where there is a good opportunity to collaborate and acquire. The driving force behind any choice is technology.

Tech company

Stella Li calls Byd a tech company, a company of engineers and innovation. 'We are,' she says, 'the Apple of the automotive industry'. Not a small statement for a Chinese company that lives in an ecosystem of technological excellence (and we have seen this in two parades, the military one in Beijing and the civil one at Ifa in Berlin with lots of robots and AI). However, the executive vice president explains that Byd (and its brands) do not rely on a Chinese ecosystem but an international one. 'Our main technology partner is the American Nvidia, we take the best of tech from around the world regardless of nationality. We are only interested in excellence, not provenance'.

'After all,' relaunches Alfredo Altavilla, Special Advisor at Byd, 'the technology industry is global by definition, borderless and has no passport. Only the ability to innovate and create cutting-edge products counts'.

And here enters the question of autonomous driving, the holy grail of the automotive industry, chased for years between wow announcements and megaflops. 'For Byd,' explains Stella Li, 'autonomous driving is about safety and comfort and we have great engineering teams.

According to Altavilla, autonomous driving is, like the electric car, a question of infrastructure.

Statements of intent supported by the fact that Byd entered the Fortune Global 500 in 91st place, when only three years ago it was 436th. To remain in the automotive field, it ranks first in the world in classic Nev vehicles, which translate into electric and plug-in hybrid cars.

Added to these numbers is the ambition to produce the fastest electric car in the world, not hiding the goal of reaching 500 km/h after breaking the YangWang U9's record of 472.41 km/h.