BYD ahead of Tesla – Chinese planet marketplace leader EV

chiny24.com 4 weeks ago

In 2025 BYD delivered 2.25 million electrical cars, which means 28% increase year-on-year And for the first time in past defeating Tesla – leader since 2020. The American giant, according to estimates, sold 1.64 million EV (–8%), ending the year with a failure of first position in global markets.

The key to success BYD was a two-track strategy:

China – usage of the immense interior market, addition advanced ADAS features up to 20 models without price increases February 2025,
worldwide – expansion by local production: factories in Thailand (for Asia and Europe) and Brazil (for Latin America).

In 2025 BYD sold 4.6 million vehicles (EV and PHEV), ahead of Honda and Nissan already in 2024. Although EV supplies have increased, plug-in hybrid sales decreased by 8% – sign of changing preferences towards clean “electrics”.

At the same time, BYD encounters first major challenges:

4 months in a row of drop in deliveries (December: –18% y/y, 420,000 pieces),
increasing competition – Geely, NIO, and since 2025 besides Xiaomiwhich entered the marketplace with competitive prices.

Still, BYD maintains the world's best production scale – what gives him the lowest costs and the highest operating margin (approximately 8%) among EV producers. In Europe, its models (Atto 3, Dolphin) enter top 20, and export plans from establishments in Thailand can further strengthen position.

The leader change is symbolic turning point: The Chinese are not only catching up with the West, they're even ahead of it., not only in quantity, but in whole value chain – from batteries to AI in vehicles.

In the era erstwhile Tesla loses the paceEurope forcustoms effort to hide his own weaknessBYD becomes the most powerful player in electromobility transformation – not only in China, but in the world.

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