Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD’s investment process in Türkiye is progressing without any problems, according to Turkish industry ministry sources.
The statement came after China recently warned its companies about the risks of investing overseas.
In July, BYD announced it had agreed to build a $1 billion production plant in Türkiye with an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles.
The largest EV producer in the world, meanwhile, has started looking for workers for both Istanbul and western Manisa province, according to the official LinkedIn account of BYD Europe.
BYD’s electric and rechargeable hybrid car production facility, which is planned to start production in Manisa province at the end of 2026, is envisaged to employ up to 5,000 people directly.
For Manisa, the job listings include positions such as “Recruitment Specialist, HR Manager, Senior Consultant, Occupational Health and Safety Engineer and Payroll Specialist.”
For Istanbul, the company hires for roles like “Spare Parts Stock Control and Dealer Support Specialist, Financial Control and Reporting Specialist, After-Sales Value Chain Specialist, Sales Accounting Specialist and Senior HR Specialist/HR Manager (Chinese-speaking).”
Meanwhile, the sources told Reuters that discussions are underway with other Chinese carmakers for new investments, requesting anonymity.
Türkiye has reportedly been talking to state-owned SAIC Motor, which owns MG Motor, and Chery for potential factory investents.
Citing two people briefed on the matter, Reuters reported on Thursday that China’s Commerce Ministry recently warned the country’s carmakers of the risks of overseas auto-related investments as they seek global expansion to counter slowing growth in their home market.
At a meeting held in early July, the ministry reportedly told local carmakers not to invest in India, citing a directive from the central government, “strongly advised” against investing in Russia and Türkiye, and used a more gentle tone to highlight risks in building factories in Europe and Thailand, one of the people said.
It also encouraged carmakers to use overseas factories for final vehicle assembly with knock-down components exported from China to mitigate potential risks stemming from geopolitical issues, said the person.
But no advice was given to them to make sure core electric vehicle technologies stay in the country, as first reported by Bloomberg News on Thursday, the two people said.
They declined to be named as they are not authorized to speak to the media.
Ties between China and India have been strained since their militaries clashed on their disputed Himalayan border in 2020, prompting New Delhi to tighten scrutiny of Chinese investments and halt major projects.
SAIC Motor has been struggling with its investments in India for years. It said in April the company would bring in Indian investors to create a more favorable operating environment for its MG brand in the country.
In Russia, Chinese-branded cars have grown in presence after Western automakers retreated due to sanctions.
Chery is talking with Russian manufacturers about producing cars in Russian plants. Russia’s state-owned news agency TASS reported in August that it cited Vladimir Shmakov, director of Chery’s Russian branch.
Chinese automakers are increasingly looking for overseas expansion as they grapple with a deepening overcapacity problem due to softening demand in China, which has led to a prolonged and brutal price war.
Their efforts to boost sales in major auto markets such as Europe and the United States have also met with higher EV tariffs.
As several European countries, including Spain and Italy, seek to lure investment from Chinese carmakers, companies remain cautious of independently setting up local production there, which requires a large amount of investment and a deep understanding of local laws and culture.
Geely, China’s second-largest automaker by sales, is scouting locations for a plant in Europe but has not committed fully to building up local production, its executives told Reuters in Frankfurt this week.
Others, such as Leapmotor, have chosen to partner with local firms. Leapmotor’s joint venture with Stellantis started EV production at the Franco-Italian automaker’s Polish plant this year.
