According to automotivelogistics.media, BYD plans to deliver its first heavy-duty electric truck for the European market in the second quarter of next year and is pursuing local manufacturing to embed itself in the region.
ETT 44 specs and IAA debut
BYD unveiled the ETT 44 4×2 electric tractor unit at the IAA Transportation trade show in Hanover, engineering it specifically for long-haul transport across Europe. The vehicle features a 651 kWh battery offering an estimated range of up to 372 miles (600km), with charging from 20% to 80% achievable in just 20 minutes using BYD’s 1.5 MW charging technology — adding up to 250 miles of range per session.
Local production and supply chain strategy
Stella Li, executive vice-president and head of international business at BYD, stated at IAA:
“For the long term, we will produce everything we sell in Europe here locally. Once you move everything produced locally, it’s okay. We become a European company.”
While BYD has not disclosed the location or start date for European truck production, it already operates a factory for electric buses and commercial vehicles in Komárom, Hungary, plus two battery-related facilities in the same country.
The OEM announced a $1 billion plant in Manisa, Turkey in 2024, but paused those plans this June while evaluating a second European manufacturing site — potentially via acquisition. It has disclosed strategic partnerships with Forvia in France and Hungary, and supply agreements with steel and technology provider Voestalpine in Hungary.
Tariff avoidance and market context
Local production could help BYD avoid or limit tariffs on Chinese imports: current duties stand at 10% on imported Chinese vehicles, trucks, and electric trucks, with an additional China-specific duty of 7% to 35% for EVs — bringing total duties to between 17% and 45%. Though Chinese electric trucks currently lack that extra duty, industry calls for its enforcement are growing — including from Traton’s MAN brand and the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA).
In its May 2026 EU-China trade fact sheet, ACEA reported that the EU imported €1.3bn worth of commercial vehicles and buses from China in 2025. BYD’s end-to-end ecosystem plan includes charging infrastructure, energy storage, energy management, and financing — aiming to ease adoption by supplying vehicles, energy, and infrastructure from a single provider.
Source: automotivelogistics.media
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
