BYD officially confirmed that its Szeged factory in Hungary will start production at the end of 2025, and the first model will be the European version of Seagull (named Dolphin Surf overseas). The total investment of the factory exceeds 1 billion euros. After completion, it will become the first passenger car production base of a Chinese automaker in Europe, and is expected to create thousands of jobs.
Size and positioning adjustment
The length of the European version has increased to 3990mm (3780mm for the domestic version), and it is positioned as an urban pure electric car. Its competitor is Citroen e-C3;
The starting price is 22,990 euros (about 188,000 yuan), and it is reduced to 19,990 euros (about 163,000 yuan) during the promotion period, which is significantly higher than the domestic starting price of 69,800 yuan;
Differentiation of three-electric systems
Provide two battery packs of 30kWh/43.2kWh, the Active version has a range of 220km (WLTP), and the Boost version has a range of 340km;
The motor power is increased to 88 horsepower (75 horsepower in China), and the top version supports 85kW fast charging;
Localized configuration
The whole series is equipped with a 10.1-inch central control screen and heated rearview mirrors as standard, and the high-end version adds 360° imaging and LED headlights;
In the future, more European special versions will be developed based on the Hungarian R&D center;
As a comparison of car parameters, the Chinese mainland version of Seagull Parameters of the 2025 model: https://wcevcar.com/en/car/byd-seagull-2025
BYD Europe President Li Ke emphasized that the Hungarian factory is a key layout for "making consumers see BYD as a European brand". Unlike Leapmotor, which canceled its production plan in Poland, BYD chose to avoid tariff risks through localized production, and plans to add production lines for Atto 3 (Yuan PLUS) and Dolphin models in the next 12 months.
The pricing strategy of the European version of BYD Seagull reflects the new path of "high-end overseas expansion" for Chinese electric vehicles - improving premium capabilities through configuration upgrades and local services. As the production capacity of the Hungarian factory increases, BYD may rewrite the European A0-class electric vehicle market.
