- At IAA 2026 in Hanover, BYD announced that it will begin selling commercial vehicles in Europe in 2027 and intends eventually to manufacture on the continent everything it sells there. Local production would allow the company to avoid import tariffs, which European manufacturers are calling for to be extended to Chinese trucks.
- In Hanover, BYD displayed the flagship of its heavy-duty range: the ETT 44, a purpose-built electric 4x2 tractor unit for combinations of up to 44 tonnes, with a 651 kWh Blade battery, an 851.2-volt architecture, a rated output of 743 hp and peak system output of up to 1,000 hp. DC charging reaches 420 kW, while megawatt charging exceeds 1.5 MW.
- Alongside the road-going tractor unit, the Chinese manufacturer displayed rigid trucks with swap bodies and hooklift systems, the E-Vali van and the EYT 2.0 yard tractor, creating a range covering vehicles from 3.5 to 44 tonnes.
BYD waited until the eve of IAA Transportation 2026 in Hanover to confirm its intention to establish a structured presence in the European commercial vehicle market, also announcing when it will begin: the Chinese manufacturer's first heavy-duty truck will be delivered in continental Europe in 2027 and, in the longer term, will be manufactured in Europe. "In the long term, we will locally produce here everything we sell in Europe," said Stella Li, executive vice-president and head of the group's international operations. Once localisation has been completed, she added, "we will become a European company". The reason is that manufacturing within the European Union avoids import tariffs on commercial vehicles, which European manufacturers have been calling for for months.
BYD has not, however, identified the European production site for its commercial vehicles. Specialist publication Automotive World considers the Hungarian plant in Szeged the most likely option. Until now, the facility has been earmarked for cars made by the same Chinese manufacturer and is expected to begin series production in 2027. Another possibility is Turkey, where development of a BYD factory has been suspended pending rules on local content, while a third option could involve acquiring an existing plant, with reports suggesting advanced negotiations with Stellantis over a facility in southern Europe. In the bus sector, the group's European industrial presence has long been established, with its Hungarian factory in Komárom opening in 2016.
Vehicle sales will be rolled out gradually, according to Domenico Gostoli, head of BYD's commercial vehicle and bus division for the EMEA region. He said priority would be given to northern European countries and the DACH region, where electric truck charging infrastructure is more mature and incentive policies are better defined, while Italy, France and the Iberian Peninsula are regarded as strategic markets for regional logistics. The commercial model, he said, will be tailored to the characteristics of each country while maintaining a consistent level of service. Gostoli described this year's IAA as a turning point for the Chinese manufacturer, which says it no longer regards electrification as a pilot project but as a solution to be deployed at scale.
The challenge acknowledged by the manufacturer itself is after-sales support, an area where established European brands claim an advantage that will be difficult to close quickly. BYD's response is multi-pronged, combining the appointment of qualified local service centres, remote and predictive diagnostics, a dedicated spare-parts supply chain and a European team with expertise in vehicles, logistics, energy infrastructure and after-sales service. Li said fleets will be offered a package including financing, charging infrastructure also powered by solar energy, and a workshop network backed by a mobile roadside assistance service. If BYD implements this programme, the coming months should reveal the names of dealers and service network partners, geographical coverage and contractual repair times. This approach is central to BYD's Total Cost of Mobility concept, under which the company proposes to combine vehicles, batteries, charging infrastructure, stationary energy storage, energy and load management, diagnostics, maintenance, spare parts and financing solutions in a single package. The aim is to shift the competitive comparison away from the vehicle's purchase price towards the overall cost of operations: vehicle availability, power available at the depot, energy prices, charging times and value over the vehicle's lifecycle.
The vehicle underpinning this expansion is on display at BYD's IAA 2026 stand: the ETT 44, a 4x2 electric road tractor unit for combinations with a gross vehicle weight of up to 44 tonnes and a kerb weight of between 10,950 and 11,140 kg. The platform was designed as an electric vehicle from the outset rather than being derived from a combustion-engine model. Energy is stored in a 651 kWh Blade battery using LFP cells, powering a 546 kW drivetrain with peak system output of up to 735 kW. The high-roof cab has a flat floor and a bunk. The tractor is 6,400 mm long, 2,530 mm wide and 3,820 mm high, with a 3,800 mm wheelbase. It has electronically controlled air suspension on both axles, a fixed 50 mm fifth wheel, a minimum turning radius of 7.3 metres and a maximum gradeability of 25%.
Its range is the figure that needs to be treated with the greatest caution. At IAA 2026, BYD quoted a range of up to 600 kilometres, but in the table accompanying the official press release the corresponding figure is still listed as to be confirmed, while the manufacturer does not specify the load or route conditions under which it was measured. A comparison with competitors nevertheless suggests a broadly similar positioning: Volvo claims up to 700 km for the longer-range FH Aero Electric unveiled last April, while Daimler Truck with the eActros 600, MAN and Scania are converging on the same high-power charging standard. In Hanover, some European manufacturers unveiled models with ranges of up to 720 kilometres.
On charging, the Chinese manufacturer is taking its most aggressive approach. With DC charging via a CCS2 connector, the model accepts up to 420 kW and can charge from 20% to 80% in no more than 60 minutes. With MCS, power exceeds 1.5 MW and the same charging window falls to around 20 minutes, restoring up to 400 km of range. "Less time charging, more time on the road," Li said, referring to the fast-charging technology already introduced on the group's cars. This benefit, however, depends on the actual rollout of megawatt charging stations, the grid connection capacity available at sites and the management of peak power demand, an issue facing all manufacturers.
The BYD ETT 44 comes with a comprehensive suite of driver assistance systems, including adaptive and predictive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, lane keeping and lane departure warning, blind-spot detection and vulnerable road-user detection during manoeuvres, as well as electronic stability control, hill-start assist, direct tyre-pressure monitoring and axle-load indication. Inside the cab, there is a digital instrument panel with a 12.8-inch central display equipped with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and the Fleetlink fleet management system. The model has also achieved a five-star Euro NCAP rating and CitySafe accreditation, and is ready for Level 2+ driver assistance systems.
Alongside its flagship model, the Chinese manufacturer is displaying 4x2 and 6x2 electric chassis in two configurations: one with a swap body, aimed at distribution, intermodal and line-haul operations, and one with a hooklift system for specialised and municipal applications. In the lighter segment, BYD is showing the E-Vali commercial vehicle, developed for Europe and offered in 3.5- and 4.25-tonne versions with a claimed range of between 220 and 250 km. The manufacturer also intends to enter the niche market for yard tractors with the EYT 2.0. BYD has not announced prices for any of the vehicles displayed at IAA 2026.
Pietro Rossoni
