When the men’s national teams from Italy and Turkey were ready for the opening game of the European Football Championship in the venerable Roman Stadio Olimpico on June 11, 2021, shortly before 9 p.m., all that was missing was a ball. A child didn’t bring it to the center circle as usual, but a remote-controlled miniature model of the VW ID.4 electric car.
It remains to be seen whether a model car will also present the match ball on June 14, 2024, when Germany and Scotland face each other in the opening game of this year’s European Championship in Munich’s Allianz Arena. It’s been clear since Friday: it definitely won’t be a VW. Instead, the car partner for the tournament in the home country of the Wolfsburg car manufacturer, who is condemned to save money, is: BYD. Of all things.
In their home country, the Chinese replaced Volkswagen in the spring of 2023 after decades of dominance as the automobile manufacturer with the highest sales figures, and in the fourth quarter of 2023 BYD was even the one largest electric car manufacturer in the world. From a position of strength, the brand also wants to attack Europe. The company has just announced its entry into Hungary first European work to build. BYD is also preparing at home with its own fleet of ships
in order to be logistically prepared for the offensive to the west.
So the conditions are right, but the Chinese cars are not yet really being received by customers in Europe. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, only 4,139 new BYD cars were registered in Germany in 2023 – a market share of 0.1 percent. The car manufacturer’s goals are completely different: BYD wants to be in Germany in the future every tenth electric car
sell and become the largest international vehicle manufacturer in Europe.
From the lawn to the streets
The Chinese currently lack the charisma for this, among other things. In a representative survey by the Horváth consultancy in November, only ten percent of participants from Europe said they knew BYD. Now the brand is choosing one of the largest possible – and most expensive – stages to change that.
“We are determined to make electric mobility available to everyone,” said European boss Michael Shu (48) on Friday when BYD and UEFA announced their partnership. BYD will not only be present with its cars at the ten venues in Germany, but will also run commercials during breaks. The brand is also planning “hundreds of events” at its European car dealerships.
As if that wasn’t enough, there was another declaration of war from China on Friday. With MG, the Chinese car manufacturer with the highest sales figures will in future sponsor Bayer 04 Leverkusen and thus the autumn champions of the Bundesliga. From the lawn to the streets – the attack on the Far East continues to gain momentum.