BYD Eyes European Market...Accelerating Marketing After Plant Construction

Official Partnership with Manchester City FC
Supply of BYD and DENZA Vehicles...Collaboration on Energy Storage Batteries

Build Your Dreams (BYD) has become the official automotive partner of European football club Manchester City FC. This clearly demonstrates the transformed status of Chinese automotive brands that are seeking to enter the European market following their success in China's domestic market.

Build Your Dreams (BYD) has become the official automotive partner of Manchester City FC. From left: Cherki Rayan, Haaland Erling, Donnarumma Gianluigi, Manchester City players. Build Your Dreams Korea

According to industry sources on February 16, BYD will supply Manchester City with BYD and DENZA vehicles under this strategic partnership. The company will also integrate its new energy technology capabilities by providing vehicle-charging infrastructure and energy storage battery solutions to the City Football Academy, the state-of-the-art training facility used by the club's men's and women's first teams and academy teams.

In addition, the BYD logo will appear on the sleeve of the Manchester City men's first-team training kit, and it will be applied to the women's first team from next season. The brand will also be displayed throughout the Etihad Stadium, and the BYD logo will be attached to the headrests of the dugout seats. During Premier League and domestic cup home matches, BYD vehicles will operate as the official cars leading the men's first-team bus to the stadium.

Stella Li, Vice Chair of BYD, said, "Manchester City symbolizes excellence, innovation, and the challenge of pushing beyond limits. These are values deeply rooted in BYD's corporate identity," adding, "This journey is about inspiring the world through technologies that move people emotionally, expand connections, and lead a sustainable future. When innovation and passion meet, their impact expands across the globe."

BYD has become the official automotive partner of European football club Manchester City FC. Li Stella, Vice Chairperson of BYD (left), and Soriano Ferran, Chairman of City Football Group, are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by BYD Korea

Ferran Soriano, Chief Executive Officer of City Football Group, said, "BYD is a global leader in its field, a company with a clear direction to create a better world by realizing excellence through technology and innovation," adding, "We are very proud to collaborate as the partner chosen by BYD over the course of this multi-year partnership to work together for a better and more sustainable future."

Having started as a battery manufacturer, BYD launched the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid vehicle in 2008 and has since established itself as a leading global eco-friendly automaker, achieving record sales in electric vehicles and super-hybrid plug-in electric vehicles. It is currently operating in more than 110 countries and regions, and as of December last year, it had produced a cumulative total of 15 million eco-friendly vehicles.

BYD sold 4.6 million vehicles worldwide last year, more than 1 million of which were sold outside China. To expand its presence in the European market, its first regional passenger car plant in Hungary is scheduled to begin operations this year, and it is building a plant in Turkey with an investment of 1 billion dollars. To offset the European Union's additional tariffs of up to 35% on Chinese electric vehicles, the company plans to shift all of its European sales to local production within three years.