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BYD sold 490,168 new-energy vehicles in October, its best month since December 2024 and its fourth-best month ever, according to a disclosure filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 1 November. The figures underline how far ahead of its rivals the Chinese carmaker now stands.
Battery-electric cars led the growth. BYD sold 305,743 pure electric passenger cars in the month, the first time it has passed 300,000 in a single month, and electrics rose to 63.3 percent of its passenger car sales. Exports more than doubled to 170,194, while plug-in hybrid sales fell for a second month running. Total sales were up 11 percent from a year earlier.
Tesla's China-made sales also grew, rising 10.3 percent to 67,829 Model 3s and Model Ys, the twelfth straight month of annual growth. That was still Tesla's weakest month since February, with wholesale volume down 28.9 percent from September's record. The contrast shows the two companies moving in different directions: BYD is winning by going all-electric faster, while Tesla is leaning on promotions to keep demand going into the end of the year.
October was also a busy month for new models. BYD launched the second-generation Seagull, its sub-10,000-dollar city car, on 20 October with flash charging on some versions, followed it with the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i on 27 October, and has the second-generation Seal 07 launching on 5 November with both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid versions. That is three refreshed or new models in 16 days.
The figures matter beyond China, because BYD's exports are now a major force in Europe and other markets, even though its cars are not sold in the United States. October's numbers show a company that is still growing fast, and a rival in Tesla that is holding its ground in China but no longer setting the pace. The second-generation Seagull, a city car priced below 10,000 dollars, gained flash charging on some versions, a feature rarely seen at that price.
Source: EV Throttle
