BYD widens lead over VW as China’s top-selling car brand

BYD extended its lead over Volkswagen as China’s top-selling carmaker, with its wide range of electric vehicles proving hugely popular among local buyers.

After dethroning the German giant for the first time earlier this year, BYD notched up 595,300 sales of plug-in hybrids and fully-electric vehicles in the quarter through June, increasing its market share to 11.2%, according to data from the China Automotive Technology and Research Centre. 

VW sold 544,000 vehicles in total, of which 23,433 were fully electric, or roughly 4%. Tesla sold 157,000 of its EVs and ranks 12th. In purely EV sales, Tesla is second in China after BYD. 

Volkswagen had been the best-selling brand among carmakers in China since at least 2008, when data from the centre became available. 

The trend reflects the declining influence of legacy foreign brands and petrol-powered cars, as Chinese EV makers muscle in with increasingly sophisticated and more affordable models. BYD earlier this year introduced the 73,800 yuan (about R181,964) Seagull electric hatchback — the 55-kilowatt motor version offers about 306 kilometres of range.

Global automakers such as VW and Toyota have meanwhile been hampered by their lack of EV offerings. Japan’s Toyota said Tuesday it dismissed about 1,000 contracted factory workers in China as the world’s biggest auto market rapidly transitions to clean cars. 

Sales of new energy vehicles, which include plug-in hybrids and battery EVs, jumped 25% in China in June to 736,000 units, accounting for almost two in every five cars sold, according to Passenger Car Association data.

BYD rose 3.1% in Hong Kong, heading for the biggest gain in three weeks. 

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