BYD’s Senior Vice President, Stella Li, who leads the European business for the Chinese automaker, has confirmed to British magazine Autocar that the luxury sub-brand Yangwang is set to launch in Europe.
The official launch is planned for 2026, following the introduction of Denza, and will be supported by European production facilities and expanded dealership networks. So far, a possible export to Europe was somewhat expected, but has never been officially confirmed by BYD.
News broke on Wednesday that BYD intends to delay mass production at its new electric-vehicle factory in Hungary until 2026, to accelerate its plans in Turkey, where labor costs are lower. BYD will vastly exceed its announced production plans, one of the sources told Reuters.
Who is Stella Li?
Coming now from Stella Li, there can be no two ways about it. Stella Li, as a student, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Statistics from Fudan University in Shanghai, graduating in 1992. Fudan is widely regarded as one of China’s top five universities.
She joined BYD in September 1996 as a Marketing Manager for global sales and exports, responsible for training sales teams and crafting marketing strategy. A year later, she founded BYD’s first overseas office in Hong Kong (1997), followed by BYD’s European headquarters in Rotterdam in 1999, and its North American headquarters in Chicago in 2000.
In 2006, she was promoted to Senior Vice President, directing global business expansion and strategy as BYD diversified beyond batteries. Her career growth within BYD—from Marketing Manager to Senior Vice President—occurred alongside the company’s transformation into a global clean-technology company. Apparently, Stella Li’s educational foundation in statistics equipped her with strong analytical skills, which were pivotal to her marketing and operational roles.
Competing with Bentley and Porsche
Positioning Yangwang as BYD’s luxury arm enables them to compete with brands like Bentley, Land Rover, Mercedes-AMG, or Porsche, starting with the U9 supercar, last showcased at the Brussels Motor Show, and the U8 off-road super-SUV.
Competing as an entirely Chinese brand against established European luxury brands, at prices starting only from €150,000 to €220,000, as estimated, presents significant adoption risks. Classic buyers of these luxury cars in Europe today are notoriously wary about EV adoption for the time being. Not to mention an unknown Chinese brand.
European factories
The European tariffs on Chinese EVs could probably be circumvented by BYD using its first European passenger vehicle factory in Szeged, Hungary. Scheduled to begin operations in late 2025, this plant would produce both BEVs (such as the popular Atto series) and plug-in hybrids, and is best suited to support premium brands like Yangwang’s U-series.
However, sources indicate that BYD will commence mass production in 2026, producing only a few tens of thousands of vehicles annually to shift its focus to Turkey.
BYD signed a $1 billion agreement in July 2024 to build a plant in Manisa near Izmir in Turkey, with an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles, including plug‑in hybrids and EVs. According to the same sources, Reuters reported that BYD will surpass the 150,000-car mark by a significant margin in 2027 and is expected to increase output further in 2028.
When it starts production in early to mid‑2026, it will benefit from Turkey’s EU Customs Union, allowing tariff-free exports to the EU. Neither BYD nor Stella Li has officially commented on this.
Electric 1,306 hp supercar
After hyping up the U9 for several months, showing off dance moves and other fun features, BYD’s first electric supercar was officially launched in February 2024 in China. In July 2024, BYD opened pre-orders for the U9, starting at 1,680,000 yuan (approximately €214,000).
This luxurious electric supercar boasts four motors, each generating 240 kW, delivering 960 kW (1,306 horsepower) and a peak torque of 1,680 Nm. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/hour in just 2.36 seconds and has a top speed of 309 km/hour.
The car uses the DiSus Intelligent Body Control System, which BYD claimed is the world’s first intelligent hydraulic suspension. In a video, the Chinese number one electric carmaker has its Yangwang U9 hypercar drive itself fully autonomously up to 120 km/h on the test track and jump at the right moment over a 2.5-meter-wide pothole filled with water and a similarly wide field of road spikes, each 3.5 cm high, consecutively. At that speed, the jumps are up to six meters long.
Floating luxury SUV
The Yangwang U8 is another one-of-a-kind in its category. It is 5.3 meters long and is powered by an electric drivetrain with a 2.0 L turbocharged inline-4 gasoline engine acting as a generator.
The four electric motors deliver up to 880 kW (1,196 hp) and enable ‘tank turns’, allowing the car to spin on its axle. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/hour in 3.6 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 200 km/hour.
In China, it features a 49.05 kWh LFP (Blade) battery, providing a pure electric range (CLTC) of 180 km. Together, this large fellow weighs 3,460 kg. Still, according to BYD, the U8 can not only wade through 1 m of water but also float for 30 minutes. It boasts full off-road capability, along with camping support, a luxury cabin, and multi-modal utility features, such as Vehicle-to-Load (V2L).
