BYD electric vehicle sales decreased for the eighth consecutive month in April. According to Reuters, the decline reached 15.5% compared to the same month last year, thus extending the longest contraction phase ever recorded by the company. The main factor was weak domestic demand, in a context where many consumers are more cautious about buying electric vehicles, especially in the more affordable price ranges.
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BYD declines for the eighth month in a row
On the international front, however, the picture appears more dynamic: overseas sales of cars and pickups, now an increasingly important component of BYD’s strategy, grew by 35%, reaching about 130,000 vehicles in the month considered. The figure, calculated from a Weibo post by BYD executive Li Yunfei, indicates that the Chinese tech company continues to seek growth outside China, even while domestic competition remains intense. In this regard, the company has not yet announced an overall target for 2026, but has declared itself “confident” of selling at least 1.5 million vehicles abroad.
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Focus on the international market
Meanwhile, competitive pressure is also reflected in sector results: Tesla’s main Chinese competitor recorded, in the January-March period, its strongest profit decline since 2020, in a context where sales in the economy segment, with prices under 150,000 yuan, are affected by growing competition from Geely and Leapmotor. In response to internal difficulties, BYD is accelerating on technological leverage and infrastructure, with models equipped with fast-charging batteries and the development of an ultra-fast charging network. Additionally, an increase in the price of its driver assistance system is expected, linked to higher global costs of memory hardware.
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