Chinese EV battery giant CATL starts trial production at Hungarian factory
Por Daniel Ren — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Electric & new energy vehicles Business China Business Chinese EV battery giant CATL starts trial production at Hungarian factory
Analyst says development could see it secure massive orders from global marques such as BMW and Volkswagen
2 -MIN READ 2 -MIN Listen
Daniel Ren in Shanghai Published: 2:00pm, 23 Sep 2026 Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) has cleared all regulatory hurdles for its mega factory in Hungary, a development that analysts expect will help the world’s largest producer of electric vehicle (EV) batteries extend its reach to international marques like BMW and Volkswagen.
Production of battery cells at the €7.3 billion (US$8.35 billion) plant in Debrecen, the second-largest city in Hungary, began on Tuesday after it fulfilled all preconditions for a trial run, the company said.
It added that mass production would start after production equipment and manufacturing processes were optimised and validated.
The announcement came after months of delays as the plant faced protests due to local residents’ concerns about environmental and health risks. Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
