BYD brings price wars EV to small cars in Europe

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BYD launched the cheapest and smallest electric vehicle in the United Kingdom, as it takes the battle of Chinese car makers to beat the price in Europe in the integrated car sector.

The Dolphin Surf, at a start price of 18,650 pounds sterling, is the British reward for the famous Seagull Hatchback byd. This model is offered in less than a third of the UK – less than 6000 pounds – in China, following a recent round of the opponent amid a price war in the largest car market in the world.

“Car Cars are the following limits of electricity in Europe,” BYD Vice President Star He said at the recent launch event in Rome, noting that the electrical transmission was more slower for small cars than the largest sports facilities.

BydThe pioneering EV maker announced an attack on Japanese small car market Last month, with plans to issue a low -cost battery in A car next year. The square minicar will be cheaper than the built -in dolphin that sells 2.9 million yuan ($ 20,700) in Japan.

Even before the first European Dolphin Surf appeared a few weeks ago at a price less than 23,000 euros, the EV Compact Compact offers from Renault 5, Citroën ë-C3 to Dacia Spring have already struck the markets at similar or lower prices.

Chinese brands have adopted a more restricted price strategy in Europe, especially with Brussels imposes a higher tariff On Chinese Chinese EVS imports since last year.

However, the BYD expansion in all car sectors in Europe is to accelerate its growth abroad. The market share of BYD and other Chinese brands in the UK and on the continent from 2.9 percent in the first quarter of 2024 to 4.8 percent in the first four months of 2025, according to Schmid’s Motor Motivation.

The UK, which has not imposed a higher tariff on Chinese EVS, is now approximately a third of all Chinese brand models entering Western Europe.

According to UK Online Marketplace Auto Trader, Chinese EVS shares have increased for sale between January and April on an annual basis, with more than 3,300 cars sold. Such is approximately 3 percent of new car shares for sale on the market compared to 0.2 percent in the previous year.

Analysts say there is a larger space for smaller electric cars as Western car makers use the cheaper lithium iron batteries to compete against Chinese competitors, who visit local production in Europe to avoid tariffs.

Renault and Volkswagen Chinese engineering experience as well as the components that were conducted in China are used to accelerate the development of vehicles and reduce the integrated EVS costs to be launched next year.

“Once they start coming to the market, we will see the price shrinkage,” said Matthias Schmidt.

Cao Li, Vice President of the Stellants -backed Chinese auto manufacture Car prices for EVS Gasoline cars were a wide trend in the European market.

Some Chinese CEOs feared to spread price war in their local market to Europe. However, the growing trade tensions between China and the European Union are changing the dynamics of pricing in Europe.

Beijing has offered automotive companies to provide a system of voluntary prices to replace the European Union tariff, but it is still unclear whether Brussels will accept this minimum prices.

People close to discussions said that Beijing offered the minimum value of 35,000 euros regardless of the model in previous negotiations. At this level, cheaper cars such as the BYD and Leapmotor offer will be excluded from the market.

But even if the price cuts are limited in Europe, analysts say consumers may be attracted to Chinese offers due to the high quality of technology and their programs.

LI BYD recently told the Belgian media, for example, that the Chinese group plans to bring high charging technology to Europe during the next 12 months.

While the price of price in China is a devastating manufacturer for the local auto industry, the largest competition in the United Kingdom and Europe may help increase the demand for vehicles, which are still less than prenatal levels.

“Increase competition levels and some new performance artists seen in our market, they are likely to create wider prices that will be useful for short -term auto buyers, which we also hope to feed more innovation and market growth in the middle of the time,” said Auto Trader.