Budapest Airport, Zhang Xue Gives BYD a Thumbs Up

Budapest Airport, Zhang Xue saw the BYD advertisement on the control tower through the glass next to the smoking room and took out his phone to film a clip. He did not read from a script, nor did he mention any collaboration; he only gave a thumbs-up to the camera: "I am now in the smoking room at Hungary Airport, let me show everyone Brother BYD! Amazing!"

This statement is very direct, yet more penetrating than many brand films. The person filming the video is not an ordinary traveler, but a Chinese entrepreneur working on motorcycles and mastering powertrains. Someone who competes with foreign technology in the motorcycle track, seeing another Chinese company occupy an advertising spot at a European airport hub, his reaction was not mere politeness, but a fellow professional recognizing a peer.

Netizens noticed that he uses a BYD Qin L for daily commuting, teasing him that "motorcycles are built wilder than anyone, cars are used more frugally than anyone". Behind the joke is an interesting contrast: Zhang Xue's motorcycles and BYD take different paths, one is independent R&D of motorcycle powertrains, the other is full-stack independent R&D of new energy vehicles, but the underlying logic is similar — holding key technologies in hand, exchanging long-term investment for influence. Both sides have no business cooperation, this like is more like a real sample. When a Chinese brand is seen overseas, who sees it first? It is seen by people who understand technology, have done manufacturing, and know where the difficulties lie.

An airport control tower is not an ordinary billboard. It stands at one of the nodes with the densest cross-border traffic, serving as a hard entry for brands to enter the local public view. The fact that BYD put ads here indicates that going global is no longer as simple as loading cars onto car carriers, but establishing presence, channels, and awareness in the European market. From January to September 2026, BYD's overseas cumulative sales of passenger cars and pickups reached 1.3378 million units, covering over 120 countries and regions. Numbers indicate scale, the control tower ad indicates another matter: it begins to compete for "brand landmarks".

Relying on technologies such as Blade Batteries, DM-i Super Hybrid, and Flash Charging, BYD has already achieved results in markets such as Brazil, Singapore, and Thailand. A chance encounter reveals that Chinese intelligent manufacturing is moving from product globalization to brand visibility. Zhang Xue's thumbs up is recognition of peers and resonance with China's long-term investment in the real economy.

The control tower ad is still lit, and Zhang Xue has already boarded the plane. There is no script in the video, just one sentence "Brother BYD, Amazing". In the comments section, some recognized the Qin L, others added "Motorcycles built wild, cars used frugally". A Chinese brand is seen in Budapest, first seen by another Chinese entrepreneur. If there are more moments like this, the word "going global" is not just numbers in the financial report.