The Chinese automobile giant BYD is headed to get over officially to the American tesla as the largest company in electric vehicles of the world in annual sales.
Both groups are expected to release their final 2025 figures soon and, based on data from sales So far this year, there is almost no chance that the firm led by Elon Musk will retain its position as leadership.
At the end of November, BYDbased in Shenzhen and which also makes hybrid vehicles, had sold 2.07 million of electric vehicles so far this year.
teslabased in Austin, Texas, had sold 1.22 million until the end of September.
The figures of September of tesla included a specific boost in the salesup to almost half a million vehicles in a three-month period. That was before the end tax credit American for buyers of electric vehicleswhich ended due to a law promoted by the president donald trumpskeptic of climate change.
But it is expected that the sales of tesla fall to 449,000 in it fourth quarteraccording to FactSet analysis consensus.
That would give tesla some 1.65 million of sales throughout 2025, a drop of 7.7% and well below the level that BYD had reached at the end of November.
Deutsche Bankwhich projects only 405,000 sales of electric vehicles of tesla during the fourth quarterforesees that the sales of the company fall by about a third in North America and Europeand a tenth in China.
Period of transition
Industry analysts note that it will take time for demand for electric vehicles reach an equilibrium level USA after the removal of tax credit US $7,500 at the end of September of 2025.
Even before that, tesla had had difficulties in sales in key markets due to political support from Musk, the company’s CEO, to President Trump and other US politicians extreme right.
tesla also faces increasing competition in electric vehicles not only of BYDbut from other Chinese companies and European giants.
“We believe that tesla will see some weakness in deliveries” in the fourth quartersaid Daniel Ivesfrom Wedbush Securities.
Nails 420,000 sales would be “sufficient to show a stable demand“, with Wall Street “focused precisely on the autonomous chapter that will begin in 2026,” added Ives, referring to the plans for tesla to manufacture vehicles that can be driven without human intervention.
Even though it has grown rapidly, BYD has had challenges in your local market.
With profitability in China weighed down by sensitive consumers price, the company has sought to strengthen its presence in the foreign markets.
BYD is “one of the pioneers in establishing production capacity and supply chains abroad to electric vehicles“Jing Yang, director of corporate ratings for the Asia-Pacific region, told AFP at Fitch Ratings.
“Looking ahead, your geographic diversification will probably help you navigate a tariff environment increasingly complicated,” Yang said.
autonomous driving
The foreign rivals of BYD have shown objections to the state subsidies Chinese and other public support that has allowed the company to sell low price vehicles.
Trump’s predecessor, the Democrat Joe Bidenhe imposed duty 100% to imports of electric vehicles Chinese that could even rise more with the current Republican president.
Europe has also imposed duty to Chinese imports, but BYD is building manufacturing capacity in Hungary.
Although the possibility that tesla recover your leadership overall in electric vehicles seems uncertain, the American company could also be well positioned for growth.
For michaelby TD Cowen, the autonomous technology will play an increasingly important role in teslawith advances in its “fully autonomous driving” offerings (FSDfor its acronym in English), which could boost the sales.
Yeah tesla successfully expands the capacity of the FSD“That should generate more demand for their vehicles,” he said. michael.
Musk has said that the production of Cybercaba model of autonomous robotaxiwill begin in April 2026.
tesla has also offered lower priced versions of the Models 3 and Y that could boost the sales.
