Car industry BYD probably the world's largest e-car manufacturer in 2025 - overtaking Tesla
The Chinese car manufacturer BYD is expected to have sold more e-cars in 2025 than any other company in the world. Previous sales data indicate that the Chinese company has overtaken the previous market leader Tesla by a wide margin.
29.12.2025, 10:53
SDA
By the end of November, the Shenzhen-based company had sold 2.07 million pure electric vehicles, according to BYD's sales figures.
Figures for the US company Tesla are available for the first three quarters, i.e. up to the end of September. Until then, the US company had sold 1.22 million vehicles. This includes a significant, one-off increase to almost half a million vehicles in a single quarter due to the expiry of US tax breaks for e-vehicles. Just under 450,000 Tesla vehicles are now expected to be sold in the fourth quarter.
With 1.65 million vehicles for the year as a whole, Tesla would have sold 7.7 percent fewer than in the previous year - and far fewer than BYD's well over two million vehicles.
Expansion of capacities
Although the Chinese company, whose name stands for the English slogan "Build your dreams", is also struggling with a tough price war on the Chinese market, it is increasingly focusing on exports. BYD is also systematically building up production capacities outside China, which are valuable in view of increasing trade conflicts.
Tesla had suffered greatly from the political commitment of its boss Elon Musk to US President Donald Trump. Sales slumped in Europe in particular. In the USA, the withdrawal of tax breaks is now adding to this. As a result, analysts at Deutsche Bank are only expecting to sell a good 400,000 Teslas in the fourth quarter.
