People familiar with the matter say BYD may be included in the Chinese corporate delegation for the China-US summit, but this has not yet been officially confirmed. In the European market, BEV registrations in 16 core markets reached 202,800 in August, up 54.2% year on year, with market share rising to 30.5%; cumulative registrations in the first eight months exceeded 1.67 million. Leapmotor is pre-producing the B10 at Stellantis's Zaragoza plant in Spain, using local content to circumvent EU tariffs; BYD plans to build three vehicle assembly plants and one battery plant in Europe, with trade policies and export channels adjusted in tandem.
BYD May Enter the Picture for Entrepreneur Delegation at China-U.S. Summit
People familiar with the matter said Chinese officials are considering including BYD in a delegation of Chinese companies that may accompany next week's China-U.S. summit in Washington. The information has not been officially confirmed, and the final composition of the delegation remains uncertain. If it ultimately materializes, this would be another Chinese new energy vehicle company appearing on the accompanying list for high-level China-U.S. economic and trade activities, and is also seen as a lens through which to observe the internationalization of Chinese automakers and geopolitical economic and trade signals.
European Market: BEV Share Reaches 30.5%
What underpins the growing overseas presence of Chinese automakers is a structural shift taking place in the European market. Data from the European Electric Mobility Association, New Automotive, and Fier Automotive show that in August, BEV registrations in 16 core European markets reached 202,833 units, up 54.2% year-on-year, with the BEV market share rising to 30.5%. In the first eight months of this year, cumulative BEV registrations in Europe exceeded 1.67 million units, up 33.1% from the same period in 2025, far exceeding previous expectations.
Localized Production Becomes the Main Strategy for Avoiding Tariffs
Under the EU tariff framework, local content has become a key variable. Leapmotor has started pre-production of the B10 compact all-electric SUV at Stellantis's plant in Zaragoza, Spain. The model meets sufficient local content criteria to be recognized as made in Europe, thereby avoiding EU tariffs imposed on Leapmotor EVs imported from China. The plant currently also produces three Stellantis small cars: the Lancia Ypsilon, the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, and the Peugeot 208.
In terms of pricing, Leapmotor is entering the European small electric SUV market with the B03X, priced several thousand euros lower than competitors such as the Ford Puma, and is offering Italian consumers a €5,000 discount, bringing the price down to €19,900, in the same range as the Renault Twingo's €19,500 starting price in Italy.
On BYD's side, its special European adviser Alfredo Altavilla said on September 16 that from a long-term development perspective, to achieve its growth targets and meet EU regulatory requirements, BYD needs to build three vehicle assembly plants and one battery plant in Europe. BYD is currently starting production at its first European plant in Hungary and plans to finalize the site for a second production base by the end of the year; the company prefers to acquire and retrofit existing facilities rather than build from scratch, with Spain and France as priority candidate regions.
Trade Policy Variables Continue to Accumulate
Discussions around trade policy for Chinese cars have not stopped. Massimiliano Messina, a Nissan executive responsible for Europe and other regions, said that if the UK wants equal treatment under the EU's rules of origin framework, it may need to impose trade tariffs on Chinese cars. He said the EU may pressure the UK to follow its tariff arrangements to prevent a large number of Chinese cars from entering the EU market via the UK; currently, sales of Chinese-brand cars account for one-fifth of total UK market sales.
Policy demands are also emerging on the supply side. On September 16, labor representatives at auto parts giant Bosch called for policy action at the EU level, urging regulations that support local production to curb job losses in the industry. Frank Sell, chairman of the general works council of Bosch's Mobility business sector, speaking on behalf of about 70,000 German employees, said that the industry's transformation can only succeed if value creation and jobs remain in Europe.
Supply Chain and Export Channels Adjust in Tandem
Upstream supply chains are also moving closer to Chinese automakers. Yokohama Rubber has completed a new passenger tire plant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, with a total project investment of RMB 1.96 billion (equivalent to USD 292 million). The first tire rolled off the line in November 2025, taking only 11 months from construction start to production, whereas similar projects previously typically took more than two years; annual capacity increased by about 50%, reaching 9 million tires. Chairman and CEO Masataka Yamaishi said on September 14 that the company would accelerate returns on investment at Chinese-style speed and adapt to China's fast, low-cost production model.
On the export front, persistently declining demand in China's light vehicle market has prompted multinational automakers to direct China-made vehicles to other markets. FAW-Volkswagen announced on September 11 the official launch of vehicle sales in Madagascar, making Volkswagen Group the first multinational automaker to export China-produced cars to Africa; General Motors is also exporting vehicles to Africa and other overseas markets through SAIC-GM.
Points to Watch
Whether BYD ultimately appears on the accompanying delegation list still awaits confirmation from official information. Based on verifiable data and actions, the growth rate of Europe's pure electric vehicle market, the enforcement approach to EU tariffs and rules of origin, and the actual pace at which Chinese automakers land production capacity in Hungary, Spain, and other locations remain core variables for assessing the overseas expansion path of China's new energy vehicles.
