In what is being seen as a watershed moment for Chinese electric cars, BYD’s monthly sales were higher than those of Elon Musk-owned Tesla for the first time.
According to data released by JATO Dynamics, a research firm that specialises in automotive business intelligence, BYD leapfrogged Tesla, albeit by a slender margin of 66 cars. Data gathered from 28 European countries showed BYD sold 7,231 fully battery-powered cars in April, while Tesla sold 7,165.
Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, commented: “Although the difference between the two brands’ monthly sales totals may be small, the implications are enormous.
“This is a watershed moment for Europe’s car market, particularly when you consider that Tesla has led the European BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) market for years, while BYD only officially began operations beyond Norway and the Netherlands in late 2022.”
A Reuters story earlier in the month encapsulated Tesla’s troubles, with sales in the first quarter of the year falling over 50 per cent in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark.
Tesla reported another monthly drop in April, with total volumes down 49 per cent year on year, despite the sales of BEVs growing 17 per cent in Europe.
In contrast, BYD saw an increase of 359 per cent over the same period thanks to its broad and competitive line up of fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. BYD’s BEV sales have grown 169 per cent. Also outsold established European car brands, like Fiat, Dacia, and Seat in the UK and Fiat and Seat in France.
Volkswagen remains the BEV top-seller in Europe, with its sales growing 61 per cent to 23,514.
European Union tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles earlier this year had an initial negative impact on their sales, forcing these carmakers to look for other solutions. Many Chinese carmakers responded by expanding and diversifying their European line-up with the introduction of plug-in hybrids, which have not yet been targeted by EU tariffs.
“China is not only the world leader in BEVs; its automakers are global leaders in plug-in hybrid vehicles too. To gain traction in Europe, its carmakers have responded to the threat posed by tariffs by focusing on other powertrains, such as plug-in hybrids, to maintain the momentum behind their global expansion plans,” Munoz added.
BYD is currently in the process of building factories in Hungary and a US$1 billion facility in Turkey. Cars manufactured there and sold in the European Union will escape the tariffs.
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