"We have contacts with several car manufacturers."
Thus the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, on the sidelines of the visit to the former Ilva factory in Taranto, answering a question about a possible contact with the Chinese BYD.
"We have worked since the beginning of the legislature - he continued - to improve the attractiveness of the country. This also applies to the automotive sector. We are the only European country that produces cars to have a single manufacturer".
Byd - Bloomberg explained this morning - was contacted by the Italian government as part of the country's efforts to attract a second car manufacturer in addition to Stellantis.
“We have some contacts to discuss it,” Michael Shu, chief executive of BYD Europe, said in an interview at the Geneva International Motor Show.
The need for a second European plant "depends on our sales: we are making very good progress now," Shu added.
BYD, which overtook Tesla as the world's largest electric vehicle maker in 2023, confirmed plans in December to build a factory in Hungary.
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