BYD is beefing up its German operation after a patchy summer for sales, naming four new managers to tighten how it sells to corporate fleets and retail buyers.
The company’s latest hires include Christian Lochner, a former Fiat Chrysler and Mitsubishi Motors executive who will handle key accounts and fleet support, and Birk Pfennig, previously with Hyundai and Volkswagen’s Seat brand, who will run retail sales.
The moves follow a slowdown in recent months and aim to restore momentum in the bloc’s toughest market. The staffing push builds on a management refresh already underway.
In June, BYD named longtime industry executive Lars Bialkowski as country manager for Germany, underscoring the brand’s intent to localize decision making and speed up dealer development.
Last year, BYD tapped Maria Grazia Davino, formerly Stellantis’s UK chief, as regional managing director covering Germany and several neighboring markets, part of a broader European leadership build-out that also brought in ex-Fiat Chrysler dealmaker Alfredo Altavilla as a senior adviser.
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Germany matters for reasons beyond size, a rebound in electrified registrations across the European Union has opened the door for challengers who can match price with acceptable range and charging performance.
BYD briefly leapfrogged Tesla in EU sales this summer, helped by a mix shift that favored plug-in hybrids alongside battery electrics and as BYD gains ground in Spain with cheaper EVs amid fast expansion.
That regional traction contrasts with Germany’s intense brand loyalty and crowded showrooms, which is why BYD’s latest hires are pointed squarely at fleet tenders and on-the-ground retail execution.
Fleet is the fast track in Germany, corporate and public-sector buyers write large orders, set residual-value expectations, and often determine which brands consumers see on the road.
Lochner’s remit over key accounts and dealer support signals a push to win more of those tenders, while Pfennig’s retail brief targets showroom throughput and conversion.
BYD is also trying to make financing and service easier to access, extending its European leasing partnership with Ayvens this spring to cover more markets, a model that German fleets already know well.
At the same time, the company is localizing its industrial footprint. BYD is building cars in Hungary and has flagged a second assembly site in Turkey, with senior advisers saying local battery output will be needed to fully support European production and logistics.
That could help blunt tariff friction and shipping costs, a growing edge as price competition heats up.
BYD’s German reset is not a splashy model reveal, it is a practical fix to distribution and fleet penetration in a country that shapes European buying habits.
Success would compound the brand’s recent share gains across the EU and give it a sturdier base ahead of local production ramps.
Failure would show how hard it remains for new entrants to crack Germany’s dealership networks and fleet rosters, even with sharper pricing and more body styles.
The company did not disclose the names of all four appointees or provide targets attached to the changes. That caution fits the moment.
A hiring blitz does not guarantee share gains, but it does put accountability closer to customers at a time when the German market is unforgiving and the European cycle is shifting in BYD’s favor.
