BYD closes the plant in France. «E-bus orders were not enough»

BYD French e-bus factory will be halted. The Chinese e-bus (and EVs) maker has decided to close the plant, but has underlined that it will still be active in the French market. The news is reported on the French specialized media Bus&Car Connexion. Announced in spring 2017, the plant was supposed to be dedicated to the country e-bus market, while vehicles for the rest of Europe are realized in Hungary.

BYD closes the plant in France

The media reports that BYD has decided to change its strategy in the French market. «BYD France will remain present on the market as SAS, but the production site will be closed. Orders have not been enough,” Aurélie Plaisant, communications officer at BYD France, is quoted as saying on Bus&Car Connexion. Only about thirty vehicles have been assembled in the plant (the very first left the plant for Agglo du Beauvaisis). The site was only using a third of the 80,000 m2 of the building and only employed ten people in production, still the media says.

Four years ago, the production volume was estimated at 200 e-buses per year (including double-decker and coaches).