China’s BYD is on track to overtake Tesla as the world’s largest seller of electric vehicles, marking a historic shift in global EV leadership.
BYD announced Thursday that sales of its battery-powered cars rose nearly 28% in 2025, reaching more than 2.25 million units.
Tesla, expected to release its full-year figures later Friday, is projected to deliver about 1.65 million vehicles, according to analyst estimates.
The milestone highlights growing pressure on Tesla, which faced a turbulent 2025. New models drew mixed reactions, competition from Chinese rivals intensified, and investors voiced concerns about Elon Musk’s political engagements.
In October, Tesla introduced cheaper versions of its two best-selling U.S. models to revive demand. Critics had faulted the company for being slow to roll out affordable options in a rapidly evolving market.
Musk, already the world’s richest man, must now expand Tesla’s sales and market value to unlock a record-breaking compensation package worth up to $1 trillion.
The deal includes ambitious targets such as selling one million humanoid robots and scaling Tesla’s Optimus and Robotaxi projects.
Tesla’s sales dipped early in 2025 amid backlash over Musk’s role in President Donald Trump’s administration. Concerns grew that his involvement in ventures like X, SpaceX, and the Boring Company was diluting his focus on Tesla.
Musk later pledged to scale back his government role to reassure investors.
BYD Expands Despite Challenges
BYD also faced headwinds in 2025, recording its slowest sales growth in five years due to rising competition from Chinese EV makers such as XPeng and Nio.
Still, the Shenzhen-based automaker continues to expand globally, often undercutting rivals on price.
It has grown rapidly across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Europe, even as several countries-imposed tariffs on Chinese EVs.
In October, BYD reported that the United Kingdom had become its largest market outside China, with sales surging 880% year-on-year, driven by demand for the plug-in hybrid version of its Seal U SUV.
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