Orbán cabinet: Chinese BYD investment will put Szeged in Europe’s TOP 30
The construction of Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD’s plant in Szeged will put the Hungarian city among the biggest 30 industrial centres in Europe, Construction and Transportation Minister János Lázár said on Friday.
After talks with Szeged Mayor László Botka, Lázár said construction of the BYD plant, to be the biggest car plant in Hungary, was progressing at a faster than expected pace. The first vehicles should roll off the line in the second half of 2025, he added.
By the time production starts, road, railway and utilities infrastructure upgrades will be completed, he said.
With the cooperation of Serbia and China, the nearby border crossing at Roszke will be expanded to become the biggest road freight and rail cargo crossing in the Schengen zone, he added.
A four-lane road will be built connecting the plant to the M43 motorway, while two other access roads will be expanded. A railway terminal will be built nearby, while the rail line between Szeged and Kiskunfélegyháza, to the north, will be rebuilt at a cost of HUF 175bn.
Lázár said railway developments were expected to be financed with a EUR 2.2bn loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). He added that the Roszke border crossing would be expanded with Chinese cooperation and credit.
Lázár said 10,000 people would work at the plant,
requiring upgrades of Szeged’s public transport. He added that HUF 2bn would be allocated immediately to extend the lifespan of Szeged’s bridge over the Tisza.
Lázár said the number of cars produced in Hungary annually would rise to 1 million within three years.
Mayor Botka said the municipal council had been working in close cooperation with the central government to prepare for the construction of the BYD plant for a year. He added that there was “full consensus” on the investment among civic leaders and residents.
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