• BYD bosses shrug off UK EV grant
• ‘By the time it takes effect, the market will be flooded with Chinese EVs’, claim bosses
• Brand still delays European production

China’s biggest car maker, BYD, has hit out at the UK’s Electric Car Grant, branding it ‘stupid’ and a ‘bit of a joke’.

Last week, the government announced £650 million in funding for the new scheme, as part of a wider £4.5billion package to support the transition to zero emission transport.

And while final details of the scheme have yet to be announced, it appears that Chinese EV makers might be left in the cold after transport minister Lillian Greenwood suggested they wouldn’t be eligible for grant funding.