Overview
- Péter Szijjártó resigned his parliamentary seat and on Wednesday accepted a BYD executive post to lead the group’s external relations and new business lines, he announced on social media.
- BYD told Hungary’s state news agency that Szijjártó’s role is a global position outside the company’s Hungarian management structure and not directly in charge of Szeged operations.
- Prime Minister Péter Magyar publicly criticized the hire, accusing Szijjártó of previously lobbying for large Hungarian subsidies for BYD while serving in government.
- BYD’s Szeged factory has missed earlier targets and now expects full vehicle assembly in the fourth quarter of 2026, after trial production began in January 2026, the company’s executive vice-president has confirmed.
- The Szeged project faces ongoing safety, labor and environmental allegations including reported worker deaths and claims of contaminated soil plus an EU probe into subsidies, all of which BYD has denied while expanding its Budapest base and search for more European capacity.