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The story
A discussion broke out on the overseas forum Lemmy after an article reported that BYD’s special adviser for Europe said the company will ultimately need three assembly plants and one battery factory in Europe to pursue its growth plans while complying with EU regulations. The debate centers on whether the EU should now impose on BYD the same conditions China has long effectively required of foreign automakers — joint ventures and technology transfers. Supporters argued for reciprocity, saying “that’s exactly the system VW and Mercedes already went through,” while opponents pushed back with comments like “what’s actually needed is a partnership with CATL, not BYD itself” and “in the end this is just self-serving protectionism to defend their own interests,” leaving opinion split.
BYD’s special adviser for Europe said the company will ultimately need three assembly plants and one battery factory in Europe to carry out its growth plans while complying with EU regulations.
Source: lemmy.zip / Original article here
What people said
Germany is literally trying to steer the EU in exactly this direction — along with other countries.
"Make them agree to transfer technology and know-how" — who's actually going to do that? VW just poured its development budget into executive bonuses, while BYD is the one that's actually spent massive amounts on R&D.
Sure, but only if BYD operates the plant as a junior joint-venture partner under a European company. Like comrade_twisty said, they should already know this playbook inside and out…
Nobody needs BYD as a partner. What's needed is a tie-up with CATL. An EV is just a motor + a battery, that's all it is.
As a junior partner? If Volkswagen wanted to build a plant in America, how would they feel if the condition was "become Ford's underling and hand over all your information"?
Has that ever happened, even once? Oh right, we have to protect ourselves from evil Chinese EVs. Because our way of life (oil interests) is at stake.
Check tardigrade's comment below — it explains exactly what happened.
When did I ever say "hand over your knowledge"? Or are you saying the same thing — that China forces foreign companies into joint ventures to transfer their IP?
I figured that was more like a holdover from communism — a reputation for not sharing information? I'd assumed the real issue over there was that they just never valued IP in the first place.
So you want them to hand over their knowledge, and have that knowledge end up fueling their own competitors? Do you think BYD is stupid?
That's exactly what companies have been forced to do to sell products in China. So it's only fair to require the same thing in other markets too.
Background and Key Points of This Debate
For many years in China, foreign automakers setting up local production have effectively been required to form joint ventures with domestic partners and transfer technology (ownership restrictions in the passenger-car sector were gradually eased through the 2020s). The thread’s disagreement boils down to whether the EU should now impose on BYD this very same reciprocal arrangement China has long applied to others. Supporters are calling for a level playing field, while opponents counter that “what’s actually valuable is a tie-up with battery maker CATL, not BYD itself” and that “in the end this is just protectionism to shield the oil industry” — making it a debate that doesn’t reduce to a simple right-or-wrong. One point readers may easily misread: the “three assembly plants plus one battery plant” remark in the article refers to BYD’s own growth plan, not a decision by the EU to mandate joint ventures.
*This article is excerpted and adapted into Japanese by our editorial team from the thread “BYD will eventually need three assembly plants, one battery factory in Europe, adviser says” on the overseas forum Lemmy’s c/europe. Our site takes responsibility for the translation.
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