BYD announced at the IAA Mobility 2025 show in Munich that the Dolphin Surf will be the first vehicle produced at its new factory in Hungary. The Chinese automotive manufacturer plans to open its first European production facility near Szeged in the coming months.
The company remains on track to start production before the end of 2025.
Executive vice president Stella Li said the compact city car would lead BYD’s European manufacturing efforts at the region’s largest auto show.
“Europe is a tremendously important market for us, so it’s natural to confirm here, at the region’s largest auto show of 2025, that our Dolphin Surf will be the first car that we manufacture in Hungary. We’ve been consistent with our commitment to this project and we’re really excited to start selling cars produced in Europe.”
Li also confirmed that BYD’s Flash Charging system will arrive in Europe ahead of schedule. The charging infrastructure can operate at up to 1,000kW and add a mile of range per second.
Installation will begin earlier than anticipated.
Between 200 and 300 charging stations will be installed by the second quarter of 2026. The rollout will coincide with the arrival of the Denza brand in Europe.
Premium Denza Brand Enters European Market
Denza represents the premium division of the BYD family – positioned between the main BYD brand and the luxury-focused Yangwang. At Munich, the brand showcased the Z9GT shooting brake and D9 MPV, which will spearhead its launch in selected markets starting next year.
The Z9GT uses a tri-motor setup delivering up to 952bhp.
This puts it in direct competition with the Porsche Taycan, Audi RS e-tron GT, and the upcoming Mercedes-AMG supersaloon based on the GT XX.
The D9 serves as a premium seven-seat people carrier expected to rival the Lexus LM and incoming Mercedes VLE, Volvo EM90, and LEVC L380. Its 103kWh battery reportedly delivers up to 372 miles of range.
New Hybrid Technology Debuts
BYD used the Munich show to debut its new Seal 6 Touring DM-i. The estate – sized similarly to the VW ID.7 Tourer – uses BYD’s “Super Hybrid” plug-in hybrid technology to offer more than 800 miles of combined range.
It’ll arrive in the UK in January.
The Seal 6 Touring will join the Seal U DM-i as the EV specialist’s second PHEV offering – marking BYD’s continued expansion beyond pure electric vehicles into hybrid technology.
The Hungarian factory represents a significant milestone for BYD’s European expansion strategy, allowing the company to produce vehicles locally rather than importing them from China.
