BYD Auto

BYD Auto Co., Ltd. is the main automotive subsidiary and brand of BYD Company, a publicly listed Chinese multinational manufacturing company. It manufactures passenger battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), collectively known as new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China. It also produces electric buses and trucks.

BYD Auto was founded in January 2003 by BYD Company founder and owner Wang Chuanfu, following BYD's acquisition of Xi'an Qinchuan Automobile. The first car designed by BYD, the BYD F3, entered production in 2005. BYD started producing its first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the BYD F3DM in 2008, followed by its first production battery electric vehicle, the BYD e6 in 2009. In March 2022, BYD ended production of purely internal combustion engined cars to focus on new energy vehicles. The company sells its vehicles under the main BYD brand and high-end vehicles under its Denza, Yangwang and Fangchengbao brands.

Following a decline in sales and profit, BYD Auto has experienced substantial sales growth since 2020 due to the increasing market share of new energy vehicles in China. In the fourth quarter of 2023, BYD was the top-selling battery electric vehicle manufacturer in the world ahead of Tesla. BYD was also the best-selling car brand in China in 2023, overtaking Volkswagen, which had held the title since the liberalisation of the Chinese automotive industry. The company has also expanded sales of passenger cars into overseas markets since 2021, mainly to Europe, Southeast Asia, Oceania and Latin America.

The company is characterised by its extensive vertical integration, leveraging BYD group's expertise in producing batteries and other related components such as electric motors and electronic controls, ensuring control and flexibility in production cost and volume. Most components used in BYD vehicles are claimed to be produced in-house within the group. The group also operates lithium mines, lithium processing, battery production, and an in-house computer chip manufacturing unit. , BYD Company's battery subsidiary FinDreams Battery is the world's second largest producer of electric vehicle batteries. It specialises in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, including BYD's proprietary Blade battery.

2003–2008: Establishment and early years


In January 2003, BYD Company founder Wang Chuanfu founded BYD Auto after acquiring and renaming a dwindling small automotive manufacturing company, Xi'an Qinchuan Automobile, from a state-owned defense company Norinco. The company was acquired for HK$269 million in exchange for a 77% stake, shortly after BYD raised HK$1.6 billion on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in July 2002. The acquisition was met with disapproval from shareholders, as the plan was not disclosed in the prospectus. Wang Chuanfu acquired Qinchuan with the intention of developing battery-powered electric vehicles, leveraging BYD's expertise in battery manufacturing. As Qinchuan had been manufacturing cars since 1987, the purchase gave BYD access to car manufacturing technology and an automobile production license that was difficult to obtain at that time. At the time of the acquisition, Qinchuan was producing a small car called the QCJ7181 Flyer, which BYD renamed to BYD Flyer from 2005. Limited capacity at the former Qinchuan manufacturing plant in Xi'an, Shaanxi prompted BYD to construct a new manufacturing plant in the Xi'an Development Zone within the city.

The first car developed by BYD, codenamed 316, was rejected by dealers due to its poor styling and was scrapped before reaching the market, writing off CN¥100 million of research and development (R&D) expenses as a result. Wang Chuanfu personally smashed the prototype to destroy it. The BYD F3 sedan entered production on April 16, 2005, with an affordable price tag of CN¥73,000 (approximately US$10,000). Bearing resemblance to the Toyota Corolla with a lower price, the F3 quickly gained popularity, becoming a successful model with over 63,000 units sold that year. The 100,000th unit rolled off the assembly line on June 18, 2007, just 20 months after production began. Following this success, the larger BYD F6 sedan entered production in August 2007, which was modelled after the Honda Accord. Initially, BYD cars are equipped with Chinese-built Mitsubishi Motors older engines, but within a few years, BYD Auto created its own engines by improving Mitsubishi Motors engine blueprints. During its early years, BYD Auto achieved growth by reverse engineering competitors products and supplier parts, and maintaining strong control over costs. The first mass-produced passenger car from BYD, the BYD F3 compact sedan is "a copycat of the Toyota Corolla". The BYD F0 small car was described as "a clear copy of the Toyota Aygo," while the BYD S6 "closely apes the Lexus RX", and the BYD S8 has a similar appearance to the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, with "features an almost identical Mercedes-Benz CLK front-end and Renault Megane CC rear". Wang Chuanfu responded by claiming the company only uses "non-patented technologies". In 2009, the US government had been advised by its consulate general in Guangzhou, China, that BYD uses an approach of "copying and then modifying car designs." Chinese courts ruled BYD has not infringed on patents.

In 2005, BYD Auto contributed 10% to BYD Company's revenue. By 2006, a little over a year since the F3 was launched, BYD Auto's contribution increased to 25%. In the first half of 2009, the automotive business for the first time made up more than half of BYD Company's revenue, reaching 55%. By 2008, BYD Auto owned two vehicle assembly manufacturing plants in Xi'an and in Shenzhen with a production capacity of 300,000 units per year, an R&D and testing center in Shanghai, and a moulding plant in Beijing.

After years of sales growth, widespread withdrawal of BYD dealerships were reported in large Chinese cities during 2010 due to excessively rapid expansion, limited model range, and internal competition that presented difficulties for dealers. It was exacerbated by BYD's focus on production capacity over quality. BYD responded by adjusting its annual production target from 800,000 to 600,000 vehicles, but fell short, reaching only 517,000 vehicles that year. In the subsequent three years, BYD shifted its attention to resolving concerns related to quality, dealership channels, and brand promotion.

2006–2020: New energy vehicle efforts and sales stagnation
At the 2006 Beijing Auto Show, BYD showcased the battery electric version of the F3, the BYD F3e. The car had an all-electric range of more than 300 km, and was planned to be produced within 3 years from 2007. In December 2010, BYD Auto deputy general manager Wang Jianjun confirmed that the company had canceled plans for its production due to the lack of support in charging infrastructure.

In 2008, Wang Chuanfu set a goal for the company to lead the Chinese automotive market by 2015, and to be the largest car manufacturer in the world by 2025. According to Wang, electric vehicles would be BYD's stepping stone to skip research and development of internal combustion engine vehicles, and to enter foreign markets such as Europe and North America.



In March 2008, the plug-in hybrid electric version of the BYD F3, the F3DM, was introduced as the world's first production model plug-in hybrid car at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. Initially, the F3DM was offered in China as a fleet vehicle for governments, banks and other institutions, until retail sales started in March 2010 when the Chinese government started granting subsidies for new energy vehicles.

In January 2009, BYD introduced its first production battery electric vehicle, the e6 at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It is powered by a battery pack codenamed "Fe", which provides a claimed electric range of 400 km. While plans to sell the vehicle to the general public in the US were shelved, the company sold the e6 in the US in a limited number as a fleet vehicle. In 2009, BYD started producing battery electric buses as part of a pilot scheme initiated by the Chinese government. It signed a deal to supply 1,000 BYD K9 electric buses to the Hunan Government in China. The buses have a range of 305 km per charge with a top speed of 70 km/h, a charging time of six hours and 50% fast charging in 30 minutes.

In 2010, BYD Auto Industry Co., Ltd. and Daimler AG, now known as Mercedes-Benz Group AG, formed a 50-50 joint venture named Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology with a brand named Denza to focus on research and development of new energy vehicles. The brand showcased the Denza EV concept at Auto China in April 2012. Denza was later restructured in 2021, when BYD took control of the brand by taking a 90% stake in the venture.

In August 2013, BYD established the Dynasty Series product line by introducing the plug-in hybrid electric variant of the petrol-engined BYD Surui, the BYD Qin. The Qin replaced the BYD F3DM and became the best-selling plug-in electric vehicle of early 2014.

In November 2016, the company hired Wolfgang Egger as BYD Auto's head of design. Egger, who built his career at Alfa Romeo, Audi, and SEAT, created his first design for BYD, the Dynasty concept, a concept electric SUV that was displayed at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show and previewed the design of the second-generation BYD Tang.

During the period before 2020, BYD relied on government subsidies to create profit in selling plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles. For instance, throughout 2016, the company recouped about US$1 billion in new energy vehicle subsidies for many of the nearly 100,000 new energy vehicles it sold, more than its net profit for that year of CN¥5.1 billion (US$750 million). The subsidies it received were also equivalent to a little over a fifth of BYD's US$5 billion in revenues from new energy vehicle sales that year. Between 2017 and 2019, BYD was negatively impacted by a reduction of subsidies granted by the Chinese government. Consequently, the company experienced a sales slowdown in that period with net profit falling sharply for three consecutive years, especially in 2019, when its parent company net profit was only CN¥1.6 billion. According to Wang Chuanfu, at that time, BYD had only one goal, which was to survive.

2020–present: Rapid growth and global expansion
BYD experienced a substantial surge in vehicle sales from 2020 to 2023. The company sold 3,024,417 vehicles globally in 2023, a seven-fold increase compared to the 2020 figure of 427,302 vehicles. The increase was partly attributed to the increasing popularity of new energy vehicles in China, which accounted for 27.5% of vehicle sales in China in 2022, up from 5.8% in 2020. In the first half of 2022, BYD surpassed Tesla as the world's largest plug-in electric vehicle manufacturer by selling 641,000 vehicles. BYD ended the production of pure internal combustion engine vehicles in March 2022, redirecting its focus towards new energy vehicles. In September 2022, BYD became the first carmaker in China to build one million new energy vehicles in a single year. On November 24, 2023, BYD became the first company in the world to produce its 6 millionth new energy vehicle. By 2023, BYD continued to be the world's largest plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufacturer and the second-largest battery electric vehicle manufacturer (after Tesla), with global market shares of 21.4% and 15%, respectively. BYD also held a 36% market share in the new energy vehicle segment in China as of September 2023.

BYD introduced its first vehicle equipped with the Blade battery, the BYD Han large sedan, in early 2020. The Han went on sale in July 2020 with an option of plug-in hybrid electric (Han DM) and battery electric (Han EV) variants. The range-topping variant of the Han EV was claimed to be the fastest electric car in China, while the DM version was the fastest hybrid sedan.

BYD announced its entry to Europe in May 2020, starting with Norway. The first batch of 100 BYD Tang EVs equipped with the Blade battery were sent to Norway in June 2021.

In April 2021, BYD introduced the e-Platform 3.0, a third-generation platform for battery electric vehicles that integrated and standardised core components along with a new body structure, new electrical architecture, and operating system. The platform began production starting with the BYD Dolphin and the BYD Yuan Plus that are announced in August 2021. It also established the Ocean Series line of products, which consists of models named after marine animals.

In December 2021, Daimler AG reduced its stake in its joint venture brand with BYD Auto from 50% to 10%, with BYD Auto controlling 90%. BYD refreshed Denza's line-up with the release of the Denza D9 minivan in 2022, followed by the Denza N7 SUV in 2023. In January 2023, BYD established its second premium brand called Yangwang by introducing the Yangwang U8 plug-in hybrid electric large SUV, and the Yangwang U9 battery electric supercar. The company further expanded its brand portfolio by introducing the Fangchengbao brand in June 2023, which focuses on off-road vehicles.



In April 2023, BYD released its smallest and cheapest battery electric vehicle called the Seagull. It features a 4-seater, 5-door configuration in a hatchback body style, while being priced in a segment dominated by smaller 3-door cars. The car became a sales success in China. On 29 November 2023, BYD produced the 200,000th Seagull after only seven months in the market. Due to its low cost of production and its low selling price at below CN¥90,000 or US$12,000, the Seagull has garnered curiosity and praise from international media and industry experts.

In May 2023, BYD Auto was approved to acquire a 100% stake in Yi'an P&C Insurance Co., Ltd., renamed it, and transformed it into its own insurance company for BYD vehicles. In June 2024, BYD Property & Casualty Insurance opened for registrations, and announced the expansion of its car insurance services in 7 major provinces in China. The company has regulatory approval to adjust premium rates independently, addressing high premiums and profitability challenges in the new energy vehicle insurance market.

While celebrating BYD's 5,000,000th new energy vehicle production in August 2023, Wang Chuanfu called on local Chinese car manufacturers to "unite" to take on foreign manufacturers, responding to the severe price war in the Chinese market throughout 2023. Wang claims that it is "an emotional need for the 1.4 billion Chinese people to see a Chinese brand becoming global," and initiated a campaign titled "Together, we are Chinese autos". The call was welcomed by the CEOs of Nio and Li Auto.

On 9 January 2024, BYD's first roll-on/roll-off cargo ship, named "BYD Explorer No.1", was delivered and left the construction base in Longkou, Shandong province. The 200 m-long ship arrived at Yantai Port on the same day, before heading to Shenzhen for loading cars for exporting to Europe. According to China International Marine Containers (CIMC), the ship was built by Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard for the international ship management company Zodiac Maritime, and was leased to BYD as the first of its "sea shipping fleet", with a loading capacity of 7,000 vehicles.

Branding
BYD Auto's original logo was used between 2003 and 2007. According to the company, the blue and white colours represent the sky and the clouds respectively. The logo was criticised due to its resemblance to the BMW roundel. It was replaced with the logo used by its parent company upon the introduction of the BYD F1 (renamed to F0 later).

On 1 January 2021, BYD Auto adopted a new brand logo, while other BYD businesses retained the older logo.

On 17 February 2022, the logo of BYD Auto was slightly revised with a narrower width to follow graphic design trends, coinciding with the introduction of the new BYD Company logo.

As the name "BYD" had no particular meaning, BYD Auto started adopting the slogan "Build Your Dreams" since it participated in the 2008 North American International Auto Show in the US. In 2017, when the company released the second-generation BYD Tang, BYD Auto started placing "Build Your Dreams" badging at the rear of its vehicles, replacing the standard oval BYD logo. The badging was retained until late 2023, when the company announced that the badging would be dropped in favour of the three-letter BYD logo due to widespread criticisms.

Advertising and sponsorship
In December 2016, BYD signed American actor Leonardo DiCaprio as the brand's global brand ambassador for new energy vehicles.

In January 2024, BYD signed a deal with UEFA to be the official partner of UEFA European Football Championship 2024, replacing Volkswagen as the competition's mobility partner.

Global markets
In 2009, BYD started exporting cars to Africa, South America, and the Middle East. At that time, BYD cars competed on price instead of quality. Since 2021, BYD started expanding its global presence rapidly by prioritizing exports of passenger electric vehicles. Beginning in 2022, BYD has committed to producing right-hand drive versions of several battery electric passenger models for exports to left-hand traffic countries such as Australia, the UK and Thailand. These include newer models with BYD's third-generation platform (e-Platform 3.0) such as the Atto 3 (the export version of the Yuan Plus), Dolphin and Seal. For the Dolphin, the company had also done an extensive reengineering to ensure the small car would achieve the highest ratings in Euro NCAP and Australasian NCAP testing.

Throughout 2023, the company exported over 242,766 passenger new energy vehicles, a year-over-year increase of 334 percent. As of 2023, BYD Auto vehicles are sold in over 70 countries.

Europe
In May 2020, BYD Auto announced that it would offer passenger vehicles in Europe, starting with Norway. The company chose Norway due to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the country. The first product offered there is the BYD Tang. Previous BYD vehicles offered in Europe are mainly commercial vehicles and fleet-oriented vehicles such as the BYD e6, sold in low volumes.

In 2022, BYD Auto began selling its passenger vehicles in more European countries, such as Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Belgium. In Germany and Sweden, the BYD models are sold in cooperation with the Hedin Group. In October 2022, BYD appointed Denzel Group as its distributor in Austria. In March 2023, BYD entered the United Kingdom market by introducing the Atto 3. In June 2024, BYD began selling three BEV passenger car models in Poland.

BYD will build its first European passenger car factory in Szeged, Hungary, which will build new energy vehicles with an annual capacity of over 100,000 vehicles. The plan was announced in December 2023. It is the first Chinese manufacturer to plan a European factory.

BYD announced plans to build another factory in Turkiye with a capacity of 150,000 vehicles annually on July 8, 2024.

In September 2023, the European Commission announced EU would launch an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, including BYD. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen claimed that Chinese electric vehicle prices are kept artificially low by significant state subsidies, that would in effect distort the EU market. BYD Europe managing director, Michael Shu, argued that BYD's competitive price was achieved by higher "management efficiency" and unique technology instead of subsidies from the Chinese government. In June 2024, the European Commission completed its investigation, and imposed an additional 17.4% import duty on top of the existing 15% on BYD vehicles imported into the European Union, effective 4 July 2024.

Australia
BYD entered the Australian market in 2022 through a partnership with EVDirect, a local distributor that is a subsidiary of ASX-listed company MotorCycle Holdings. Both companies signed an agreement in February 2021. The company showcased the first right-hand drive Atto 3 in August 2022. Its entry into the Australian market was delayed by a month to November 2022 due to compliance issues with the Atto 3, due to the top tether child restraint anchor point in the center rear seating position not being in compliance with the Australian Design Rules. Despite the delay, the Atto 3 became the second-best-selling electric vehicle in Australia in 2022, behind only the Tesla Model 3. In 2023, BYD introduced two more models (the Dolphin and the Seal) in Australia, and by the end of the year has sold 12,438 vehicles, making it the second-largest electric vehicle brand in the country.

Japan
In 2015, the BYD became the first Chinese manufacturer in Japan to market electric buses. It supplied the K9 large electric bus to bus operator Princess Line (bus operator) in Kyoto. In 2022, BYD held a 70% market share of electric buses in Japan.

In July 2022, BYD announced that sales of its passenger electric cars in Japan would start in 2023. Sales of the Atto 3 in the country started in February 2023, with its first sales outlet located in Yokohama. BYD sells its vehicles in Japan through a dealership network instead of direct sales. The Dolphin was added to the local line-up in September 2023. All BYD models in Japan are adapted to local conditions by adopting the CHAdeMO charging standard.

Hong Kong
BYD started sales of its passenger electric cars in Hong Kong in September 2022, shortly after it finished developing the right-hand drive Atto 3. On 11 June 2023, three BYD showrooms and a service center in Hong Kong were vandalised. Suspects poured red paint on windows and entrances of the buildings. In one case, a car was rammed into the rolling shutter of the showroom in New Territories. The incidents were reported to the police, and operations in these premises were halted for a few days. On 23 June 2023, Hong Kong police announced that 13 people were arrested in connection with the incidents.

Southeast Asia
In October 2022, BYD started sales of passenger electric cars in Thailand in partnership with local company Rêver Automotive. In 2023, BYD announced plans to build a new electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Thailand. The plant, located in Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) special zone in Rayong, began construction in March 2023 with an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles. BYD opened the plant on 4 July 2024, and also rolled off its 8,000,000th new energy vehicle at the new site. The facility is the first wholly-owned BYD plant outside China. It encompasses processes of stamping, painting, welding, final assembly, and car component production, and will employ 10,000 people.

BYD entered Malaysia in December 2022 by partnering with local company Sime Darby Motors as the distributor. In the Philippines, BYD partnered with Ayala Corp to distribute BYD passenger electric cars in the country since August 2023.

BYD introduced its passenger electric cars in Indonesia in January 2024. According to the Indonesian government, BYD plans to invest US$1.3 billion (Rp 20.3 trillion) to build a manufacturing plant in Indonesia with an annual capacity of 150,000 units. In April 2024, BYD formally announced the location of its Indonesian manufacturing plant, which will be in Subang, West Java. The plant will be operational in early 2026.

India
BYD entered the Indian automotive sector in 2016 as a battery and bus chassis supplier to Olectra Greenwich Ltd. Its manufacturing operations are based in the Sriperumbudur plant, Tamil Nadu. BYD started assembling electric passenger vehicles through a semi-knock down arrangement in low volume in 2022. The models assembled are the fleet-oriented e6 since September 2022 and the Atto 3 since November 2022.

In July 2023, investment plans to produce cars in India were cancelled due to scrutiny from the Indian government, citing security concerns. BYD Auto had previously planned to invest $1 billion USD with a local joint venture partner, Megha Engineering, with production targeted to begin in 2025.

Uzbekistan
BYD entered Uzbekistan in March 2023 by introducing two plug-in hybrid models and one battery electric model. The company established a joint venture with the local company Uzavtosanoat JSC (UzAuto) to assemble plug-in hybrid cars starting in 2024. The plant is located in Jizzakh. The first vehicle produced by the facility, a BYD Song Plus DM-i, rolled off the assembly line on 27 June 2024.

United States
BYD's North American headquarters were opened in Los Angeles in 2011. The electric bus plant in Lancaster, California became operational in 2014. BYD first supplied the Los Angeles Metro Bus system with buses in 2015.

In a February 2024 interview with Yahoo! Finance, Stella Li, the executive vice president of BYD and CEO of BYD Americas iterated that BYD is "not planning to come to the US" to sell electric passenger cars, despite planning a manufacturing plant in Mexico, citing politically motivated trade barriers against Chinese companies and the slowing rate of growth for electric car adoption in the US.

Mexico
BYD started selling electric passenger cars in Mexico since 2023. The first models introduced were the Han EV sedan, Tang EV and Yuan Plus EV. Previously the company has presence in the country selling battery electric buses, trucks and taxis. Reports in February 2024 indicated that BYD is planning to build a manufacturing plant in Mexico. According to Stella Li, the company is not considering any northern state as it targets the local market instead of the US market.

South America
BYD planned to deliver 1,002 electric buses to Bogota, the capital city of Colombia, by mid-2022, after winning a contract for 406 electric buses in January 2021.

In 2022, BYD began selling passenger vehicles in Colombia and Costa Rica.

Brazil
In February 2022, BYD Auto began sales of passenger vehicles in Brazil starting with the Tang EV (marketed as the Tan), followed by the Han EV in April 2022. Previously, BYD in Brazil had marketed battery electric buses and commercial vehicles.

In July 2023, BYD announced an investment of US$600 million in Brazil to acquire, modernise, and increase the production capacity of a former Ford manufacturing plant in Camaçari, Bahia, to build up to 300,000 cars per year by 2025. The plant will produce the Dolphin, Yuan Plus, and Song Plus DM-i. BYD also plans to build two industrial plants: one for the production of electric bus/truck platforms and another for refining lithium and iron phosphate ores for use in BYD's battery factories in China. In June 2024, BYD announced its goal to sell 350,000 vehicles annually in Brazil by 2028 and to become one of the top 3 car brands in the country.

Products
BYD Auto offers a broad variety of vehicle types, including sedans, hatchbacks, MPVs, SUVs, battery electric buses and coaches in various sizes, and large trucks. The company formerly produced internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles until 2022, when the carmaker announced that it would focus on new energy vehicles.

Passenger vehicles
For passenger vehicles for personal use, the BYD brand distinguishes its line-up under two main "series", which are the Dynasty Series (started by the Qin in 2012), Ocean Series (started by the Dolphin in 2021). In China, these series are offered through separate sales network, namely the Dynasty Network and the Ocean Network (formerly the e-Network in 2019–2021). Dynasty series vehicles adopts dragon-inspired designs, and considered to be more premium. Ocean Series vehicles are designed to appeal to younger customers with concept design of "Marine Aesthetics", using waves and flowing lines inspired by the ocean as the main theme. Ocean Series vehicles predominantly uses marine animal names except two models that are named after warships (e.g. Frigate and Destroyer). Fleet-oriented vehicles for ride-hailing and taxi are categorised in the "e" series, which are distributed through the Ocean Network.

Current powertrain options for BYD passenger vehicles consist of battery electric vehicles, denoted by the EV moniker, and plug-in hybrids marketed as DM-i (Dual Mode Intelligent, a plug-in hybrid electric system) and DM-p (performance-oriented Dual Mode with all-wheel drive).

Denza
Denza is a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz AG (previously Daimler AG) to produce luxury electric vehicles. It was established in May 2010. Its first model, the Denza 500 is based on an earlier generation of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. After years of low sales, in 2021 Daimler reduced its share from 50% to 10%, leaving BYD Auto Industry Co., Ltd. as the largest shareholder at 90%. The brand line-up was refreshed with the release of the Denza D9 minivan in 2022, followed by the Denza N7 SUV.

Yangwang
Yangwang is BYD's luxury car brand that is positioned in a price range above CN¥1 million (approximately US$140,000) to compete with European luxury brands. The brand was announced on 5 January 2023 at the Guangzhou Auto Show, along with its first model, the U8 off-road plug-in hybrid SUV, which features BYD's proprietary e4 individual wheel drive technology, followed by the U9 battery electric supercar.

Fangchengbao
Fangchengbao, trademarked in English as Formula Bao is BYD Auto's brand that produces SUVs. BYD positioned the brand with "professional" and "personalised" vehicles, with products covering off-road and track-focused segments. The brand was announced on 9 June 2023. The brand operates its own direct sales stores, in contrast with BYD that relies on a dealership network.

On 16 August 2023, Fangchengbao released its first model, the Bao 5 plug-in hybrid SUV. It debuted at the Chengdu Auto Show and is based on a Fangchengbao-specific platform called DMO (Dual Mode Off-Road).

Light commercial vehicles and taxis
The BYD e6, first introduced in 2009 as the first battery electric vehicle from BYD, is predominantly marketed as a taxi. It has been used as a taxi in many cities in China, Europe, and other Asian countries, as well as in fleets for ride-sharing apps. BYD also offers battery electric panel vans and windowed vans such as the T3/ETP3 and V3.

Buses
BYD produces battery electric buses in various forms and sizes, such as single-deck buses, double-deck buses, articulated buses, school buses, and long-distance coaches. , BYD has delivered over 100,000 battery electric buses globally.

In North America, BYD buses are produced in the US at BYD's plant in Lancaster, California. , it is the largest battery-electric bus manufacturer in North America.

Trucks
BYD is one of the largest battery electric truck manufacturer in the world, with more than 8,000 trucks in service globally. It has sold more than 200 battery electric trucks in service across the United States. It produces Class 5, Class 6, Class 7 and Class 8 trucks, refuse trucks, street sweeper trucks, mining trucks, and construction vehicles.

Blade battery
The Blade battery is a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery for electric vehicles designed and manufactured by FinDreams Battery, a subsidiary of BYD Company. It was first used by the BYD Han in 2020. Starting from April 2021, every battery electric vehicle from BYD comes equipped with the Blade battery. The battery is claimed to be thinner and safer than typical electric vehicle batteries, and has been used by other car companies. BYD claims that in a penetration test where the battery is impaled with a nail, the Blade battery emitted no smoke or fire after being penetrated, and its surface temperature reached only 30 to 60 °C. In the same test, a three-layered lithium battery would exceed 500 °C and subsequently burn.

DM (dual mode)
The BYD DM (dual mode) hybrid technology was first introduced in 2008 on vehicles such as the BYD F3DM and BYD M3 DM. It consisted of a conventional internal combustion engine and transmission as well as an electric motor and batteries. The first generation DM system is considered a series-parallel drivetrain. It uses an E-CVT, which is a power unit integrating a drive motor, a generator and a reducer, and does not have a multi-speed transmission in the traditional sense. The petrol engine drives the generator to charge the battery and power the electric motor, and is able to supply power to the wheels.

In 2013, BYD launched the second-generation DM technology (also called DM2.0). This system is more performance-oriented, and consists of a water-cooled electric motor with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) ("P3") and a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder direct injection petrol engine to form a parallel hybrid drivetrain. It has three driving modes, which are EV, HEV and ICE. This technology was used by the first generations of the BYD Qin, BYD Song, BYD Tang and other models. BYD also offered an all-wheel drive version by adding a drive motor ("P4") to the rear axle. The third-generation DM system (also called DM3.0) brought improved performance and smoother shifting by adding a belt-driven starter generator (BSG).

DM-i/DM-p/DMO (fourth generation)
In 2021, BYD introduced the DM-i and DM-p systems that replaced the outgoing DM systems. The DM-i is developed for efficiency-oriented front-wheel drive models, while the DM-p is adopted for performance-oriented all-wheel drive models. These systems adopts series-parallel plug-in hybrid technology with a dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT), consisting of a high-efficiency petrol engine marketed as Xiaoyun (which can power an electric generator) and a main electric motor (which can be powered by batteries and/or an electric generator). The Xiaoyun engine uses the Atkinson cycle, has an ultra-high compression ratio (CR) of 15.5, and has a brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of 43%, which is claimed to be the world's highest for a production petrol engine. The DM-i is available with three power levels, codenamed EHS132, EHS145, and EHS160, using a 1.5-litre, a 1.5-litre or a 1.5-litre turbocharged Xiaoyun engines respectively.

The hybrid drivetrain uses context-dependent components to provide driving power, including battery-only, battery + electrical generator mode, engine-only mode (only at high speeds due to lack of transmission), and battery + engine mode. The engine charges the batteries via the generator when conditions permit. This design allows the engine to remain within its high-efficiency zone.

In late 2023, a derivative of the DM-i and DM-p fourth-generation systems called DMO (Dual Mode Off-road) was introduced. It is developed for body-on-frame, off-road oriented vehicles that use a longitudinal engine layout such as the Fangchengbao Bao 5 SUV and the BYD Shark pickup truck.

In January 2024, reports surfaced that BYD plans to stop producing pouch-type batteries used in its plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2025 to address durability concerns and the risk of leaking electrolyte. Instead, the company will use prismatic batteries known as "Short Blade" for its plug-in hybrid vehicles going forward.

Fifth generation DM-i
The fifth-generation DM-i system (DM-i 5.0) was introduced in May 2024 with the introduction of the BYD Qin L and BYD Seal 06 DM-i. The system is claimed to have the world's highest engine thermal efficiency of 46.06%, the world's lowest fuel consumption at 2.9 l/100km, and the world's longest combined range of 2100 km.

e-Platform 3.0
The e-Platform 3.0 is a modular car platform specialised for battery electric vehicles. It offers improved integration of BYD's proprietary Blade battery technology into an improved pure electric frame with doubled torsional stiffness, a more efficient 8-in-1 module for the drive system, a direct cooling and heating system for the battery pack (utilising residual heat, the powertrain, the passenger compartment, and the battery itself) for increased thermal efficiency of up to 20%, as well as shorter front overhangs, a lower body profile, and a longer wheelbase to improve aerodynamics. The platform enables all-electric ranges exceeding 1000 km, with 800-volt fast charging technology for a range of up to 150 km after 5 minutes of charging and allows for an all-wheel drive (AWD) system with 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration of up to 2.9 seconds. It allows for cell-to-body (CTB) battery integration, replacing the outgoing cell-to-pack (CTP) technology.

The first vehicles designed using this platform are the Dolphin, Yuan Plus (Atto 3 in global markets), Seal, Denza D9 EV, among others.

e-Platform 3.0 Evo
In 2024, BYD introduced an improved version of the platform called the e-Platform 3.0 Evo. It features a 12-in-1 electric drive system, replacing the previous 8-in-1 system. It also features the world highest speed mass-produced electric drive motor reaching 23,000 rpm, faster charging speed, and a high-efficiency heat pump. The first vehicle that uses this platform is the BYD Sea Lion 07.

Software and connectivity
BYD equipped most of its passenger cars with DiLink, a service ecosystem of technology and content developed independently by BYD. The system is claimed to integrate in-vehicle network systems, cloud communication, AI, big data and other technologies. The user interface is inspired by mobile phones, supported by rotatable screens in BYD vehicles, and supports over-the-air updates. BYD also cooperated with Alibaba Cloud for its DiCloud AI cloud platform for the DiLink. Initial iterations of the DiLink (version 1.0) were used in vehicles such as the second-generation BYD Tang, and uses hardware comprising a 14.6-inch screen, 4G connection and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage.

The latest version of DiLink, the DiLink 4.0 was introduced in August 2021. The updated version supports 5G network, and feature a reworked, more intuitive user interface. The hardware for the DiLink 4.0 is known to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon SM6350 chipset with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

One of the popular feature in the DiLink for the Chinese market is the inclusion of karaoke. BYD is one of the first brands in China to include karaoke in the in-car entertainment system, allowing occupants to sing through the optional or included DiLink microphone.

In 2021, BYD also introduced BYD OS alongside the e-Platform 3.0, which is an in-house operating system for battery electric vehicles that decouples software and hardware. This approach reduces manufacturing and maintenance costs while offering the possibility for other manufacturers using the platform to integrate their own software and hardware.

Research and development
In 2006, BYD established an internal Electric Vehicle Research Institute, dedicated for the R&D and trial production of complete vehicles and parts for new energy vehicles, such as battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles (DM, dual-mode).

Design centre
In 2019, BYD launched its global design centre in Shenzhen, China. It is led by industry veterans from European brands, led by Global Design director Wolfgang Egger, BYD Global Exterior Design director JuanMa Lopez and Global Interior Design director Michele Jauch-Paganetti. The design centre initially housed 200 designers, which has increased to 600 designers by 2023.

The carmaker unveiled the E-Seed GT concept car, the first joint effort from the team, at the Auto Shanghai in April 2019. The design concept reflected the lines of the traditional Chinese dragon.

Manufacturing
BYD Auto is a vertically integrated company that claims to have the highest degree of vertical integration in the world, with over 70% of its vehicle components being supplied independently. It produces its own mouldings, production lines and equipment, and controls the supply chain for most components such as batteries, electric motors, and electronic controls, which significantly reduced its manufacturing costs and provides a competitive advantage in terms of profit margins. In 2020, the BYD group established FinDreams, a brand encompassing five fully-owned automotive component manufacturers that also supply parts to other automotive companies. BYD Auto also operates its own shipping services to export its cars.

A teardown by investment bank UBS of the BYD Seal revealed that 75% of its components were made in-house. Its competition, the Tesla Model 3 only uses 46% of components that are made in-house in China. UBS concluded that this helped the Seal achieve a gross profit margin of 16%, compared to 14% for the made-in-China Model 3.

China
BYD Auto's manufacturing plants are located in Xi'an, Shaanxi, in Pingshan, Shenzhen (the headquarters of BYD Company), Changsha, Hunan, and Shaoguan, Guangdong. The company also operates an R&D centers in Shenzhen and Shanghai.

The Xi'an plant is BYD Auto's first production base, which includes electric assembly, electric motor, and battery production. The first expansion of the plant was completed in September 2014, when the Xi'an BYD No. 2 Plant went operational. BYD added an electric bus plant in the complex in 2017, with an annual capacity of 5,000 units. Following the completion of the third phase development in September 2022, the current annual production capacity of the Xi'an production base is 900,000 vehicles. , it is the largest single manufacturing company in the Shaanxi province.

In late 2012, the Changsha plant went operational with an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles. A second phase plant went operational in 2022, making the total production capacity in Changsha reach 300,000 vehicles annually.

BYD Auto started construction of its largest plant in Hefei, Anhui in July 2021, which started operations in June 2022. It will be built in three phases with final annual capacity of 1.32 million vehicles.

In March 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology approved BYD's plan to move its passenger vehicle factory in Pingshan, Shenzhen to the Shenzhen-Shantou Special Cooperation Zone in Shantou, Guangdong, 60 km east of Shenzhen.

, BYD's annual vehicle production capacity in China reached 5.82 million vehicles.

Overseas


BYD opened a manufacturing plant for electric buses in Lancaster, California, US in May 2013. Another plant was inaugurated in Campinas, Brazil in 2015 for the production of electric buses. BYD also opened a bus plant in 2019 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.

BYD has a European electric bus assembly facility in Komárom, Hungary. The plant employed 300 people by the end of 2019, with a production capacity of up to 400 electric buses a year (and 600 chassis) on two shifts.

In July 2023, BYD announced a US$620 million investment in Camaçari, Brazil to produce electric cars, after acquiring Ford's former plant. In July 2024, BYD announced a US$1 billion investment in Turkey.

Toyota joint venture
BYD and Toyota formed a joint venture called BYD Toyota EV Technology Co., Ltd. (BTET), which was formalised in April 2020 and headquartered in Shenzhen, China. It was established with a focus on the research and development of battery electric vehicles. The first product conceived by the joint venture is the Toyota bZ3, a Chinese market battery electric sedan manufactured by FAW Toyota, followed by the Toyota bZ3C crossover SUV.

Hino Motors joint venture
In October 2020, BYD Auto Industry Co., Ltd. signed an agreement with Japanese truck and bus manufacturer Hino Motors to establish a joint venture for commercial battery electric vehicle development. The joint venture planned to introduce vehicles under the Hino brand by 2025.

In February 2023, Hino Motors halted sales of compact electric buses in Japan supplied by BYD due to the presence of hexavalent chromium, a carcinogenic chemical banned under Japanese industry guidelines. The affected model is the Hino Poncho Z EV. Hino was unable to negotiate with BYD to build the bus without using the chemical, while BYD Japan claims that the buses "meet all required laws and standards".

GAC BYD
In August 2014, BYD and GAC Group established a joint venture called Guangzhou GAC BYD New Energy Bus Co., Ltd. to produce electric buses in Guangzhou, the city where GAC is based. BYD holds a 51 percent stake while GAC held 49 percent. The joint venture mainly supplies buses to the local bus operator Guangzhou Bus Group.

Alexander Dennis
In 2015, BYD partnered with Alexander Dennis to produce all-electric buses for the British market, including London's first all-electric double-decker. Alexander Dennis built their Enviro200EV single-deck and Enviro400EV double-deck products on BYD's chassis. By 2023, the partnership had produced 1,500 buses.

Songsan Motor


A small Chinese motorcycle manufacturer Songsan Motor contracted BYD to produce retro-styled cars, as the company does not have a production license. Its first vehicle, the Songsan SS Dolphin (unrelated to the BYD Dolphin) was introduced in 2019 using Chevrolet Corvette C1 as a design inspiration. It is based on BYD's platform and powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain. As legally required, the car wears BYD badges alongside Songsan Motor logo. , deliveries to customers have not started yet. Songsan sued BYD in September 2023 due to alleged contract disputes and fraudulent environmental certifications, an allegation that was denied by BYD.

Nanjing electric vehicle subsidy fraud
In 2016, a suicide note by a dealership owner in Nanjing led to an investigation into government subsidy fraud. The note claimed that BYD had received subsidies for 600 electric buses it had never produced, with only a few dozen delivered to the city government. BYD reportedly forced dealerships to increase electric vehicle inventories, selling to people outside of Nanjing and helping them obtain temporary residence documents. The dealerships ended up paying subsidies on 80 percent of vehicles sold. Following the case, the Chinese Finance Ministry fined five manufacturers (not including BYD) for fraudulently obtaining over CN¥1 billion worth of subsidies. The companies were required to return the subsidies and pay penalties worth an additional 50% of the subsidies received.

Quality concerns of buses
In December 2018, the Albuquerque, New Mexico council in the US sued BYD over the alleged poor welding, poor battery range, and malfunctioning doors and brakes of its buses. BYD denied the allegations, and the lawsuit was settled without money changing hands.

A 2018 investigation by The Los Angeles Times found quality and reliability issues with the BYD buses used by public transit agencies in California, such as frequent stalls and unpredictable driving ranges below advertised figures.

In February 2023, BYD confirmed the presence of a toxic chemical, hexavalent chromium, in its electric buses in Japan. According to BYD, the contaminated vehicles will be "detoxified before being scrapped, leaving no impact on the environment."

Alliance for American Manufacturing lawsuit
In November 2020, BYD in the U.S. filed a lawsuit against the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a non-profit lobbying group that advocated for a ban on using the federal tax budget to purchase rail cars or buses from foreign state-owned or controlled companies such like BYD, which has an electric bus factory in California, U.S. The rule was signed into law as the Transit Infrastructure Vehicle Security Act (TIVSA). BYD alleges that AAM has engaged in a "malicious, fraudulent, outrageous, and reckless campaign" that damages BYD's reputation. The Supreme Court of the United States rejected BYD's suit in August 2022.

Changsha manufacturing plant pollution
In May 2022, Changsha city authorities opened an investigation into a manufacturing plant owned by BYD Auto in the city following complaints from nearby residents. The allegations surfaced in April 2022 on a website belonging to state newspaper People's Daily, where people living near the factory left messages claiming the plant's pollution had a strong odour, which gave residents irritated throats and nosebleeds to children. Residents purchased testing equipment, and found levels of TVOCs above safety standards. Residents protested at the Changsha plant's gate, urging the company to solve the problem. BYD denied the allegations, stating that all emissions from the plant were compliant with China's regulatory rules and standards, and threatened legal actions against people who spread rumours that emissions from the factory had caused nosebleeds. Production in the plant was partially halted during the investigation.

Emissions non-compliance allegations
In May 2023, rival Great Wall Motor publicly reported that two BYD top-selling plug-in hybrid models did not meet emission standards. In a social media post, Great Wall Motor accused BYD of using non-pressurised fuel tanks in its Qin Plus and Song Plus, enabling the liquid inside to evaporate more rapidly than it would in pressurised tanks, and announced that it had submitted evidence documents to Chinese authorities. BYD denied Great Wall's claim, saying the testing conducted by Great Wall was invalid as it had run its own tests by using a different testing method than required by authorities, and lacked third-party inspection.

Dealership fires
In May 2024, fire broke out in a BYD dealership in Fuzhou, Fujian. The Chinese language site of American news outlet NTDTV reported that it is the tenth BYD dealership fire since 2021. One BYD dealership fire case was reported in 2021, followed by four cases in 2022 and another four in 2023. Two factory fire cases were recorded in 2022 and 2023. BYD acknowledged the Fuzhou incident, but denied that the fire came from any of its vehicles and detected no abnormalities in the vehicle batteries during its inspection.

Marketing and public relations
In April 2018, British football team Arsenal F.C. announced BYD as its sponsorship partner. In July 2018, the sponsorship agreement was revealed as fraudulent after BYD claimed the person who signed a sponsorship deal with the club was not authorised to do so. BYD claims that Shanghai police detained a woman who was acting as the marketing manager on suspicion of contract fraud and forging business seals. The individual had signed numerous contracts with advertising agencies, but she has never been an employee of BYD.

In September 2021, BYD appointed Lu Kewen, an online influencer known for spreading antisemitic tropes, as a spokesperson for the company.

In China, BYD has been taking legal actions towards online bloggers and social media users. In July 2023, BYD formally sued a Sina Weibo user, Longzhu-JiChe, that had been continuously posting false information about BYD. The company demanded a CN¥5 million compensation. In April 2024, BYD filed a lawsuit against a Chinese blogger, Huang, that posted a claim in social media in January 2023 that BYD instructed its employees to organize consumers to "defend their rights against Tesla". The court ruled that Huang must publish a statement of apology and compensate BYD for losses. In May 2024, BYD filed another lawsuit against a Chinese blogger Yao Qiang, demanding that he make a public apology and pay a compensation of CN¥5 million. The blogger claims the Fangchengbao Bao 5 had poor fuel consumption of around 18 l/100km. Internet users found traffic violations in the test drive video and reported it to the police. BYD investigation revealed that the vehicle was driven abnormally and aggressively.

Unfair price cuts in Thailand
In June 2024, BYD came under investigation by Thai authorities, including the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), regarding its practices in offering price cuts in the Thai market. The investigation was prompted by a complaint from a customer, stating that a salesperson on 19 June had convinced them to purchase a BYD Dolphin by claiming that prices would increase after the discount period ended. Instead, BYD reduced the car's price by 140,000–160,000 baht on 1 July, causing the customer to experience "psychological distress". On 5 July, the issue was discussed by Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and BYD CEO Wang Chuanfu shortly after they both opened the BYD Thailand manufacturing plant. Wang promised to resolve the issue.

Sales
BYD car sales in 2009 were 448,400 vehicles. Its F3 was the best-selling sedan in China with sales of over 291,000 units. In 2010, BYD sold 519,800 vehicles, representing 2.9% of the market in China, its sixth largest manufacturer. In 2011, the BYD sales rank was outside the top ten. In 2012, the company became the 9th largest car manufacturer in China, producing over 600,000 vehicles. In 2013, BYD sold 506,189 passenger cars in China, ranking tenth.

BYD sales had increased significantly compared to its previous years since 2021, in part as a result of the rapid increase of new energy vehicle sales as a percentage of total passenger vehicle sales in China in 2021 and 2022. While the new energy vehicle market share were stagnant between 4–5% since 2018, in 2021 and 2022, new energy vehicles accounted for 15.4 and 27.5% all passenger vehicle sales respectively. Within BYD's total vehicle sales, new energy vehicles also accounted for an increasing percentage from 52.4% in 2018 into reaching 99.2% in the first half of 2022, shortly before the company ended production of pure internal combustion engine vehicles.

In late 2022 and early 2023, BYD plug-in hybrid vehicles surpassed the sales of its battery electric vehicles, which was partly attributed to the positive reception of BYD's DM-i system that replaced the older DM system in January 2021. In the first half of 2022, BYD becomes the top plug-in electric vehicle seller in the world after surpassing Tesla. The company surpassed Tesla as the world's top battery electric vehicle manufacturer in the fourth quarter of 2023 by selling 526,409 battery electric cars, while Tesla delivered 484,507 vehicles. In 2023, 52.5% of BYD's sales volume were contributed by battery electric vehicles (including commercial vehicles).

In 2023, BYD became the top-selling car brand in China ahead of Volkswagen, marking the first time another company has sold more cars than Volkswagen in the country. In early 2024, BYD sales in China were surpassed by Volkswagen, ending its 11-month streak as the top-selling brand in China. It was attributed by the 2024 Chinese New Year holiday and reduced demand. BYD regained the top position by the second quarter of 2024.

Quarterly sales (2018–present)
