BYD to Chinese Auto Industry: "Demolish the Old Legends" in the EV Race
Build Your Dreams, or BYD, is likely one of the largest companies you’ve never heard of. The Chinese giant is one of the world’s busiest EV automakers, with almost 1.9 million units manufactured in 2022. Though enormous, BYD isn’t satisfied with dominating its home market and wants the rest of the Chinese electric auto industry to come with it.
BYD’s founder and chairman called on other Chinese brands to help propel the country further down the road toward electric vehicle dominance. At its event last week, the company showed a video depicting the founding of its automotive rivals in the country, and it ended with a message that it’s time for Chinese automakers to “demolish the old legends and achieve new world-class brands.”
Though it’s behind Tesla in global sales, BYD is king in China. Its growth is staggering, as it more than doubled in size between the second quarter of 2022 and Q2 2023. Tesla grew about 142 percent and has a strong manufacturing presence in the country, so it’s the best-equipped American entity to take on the Chinese.
It’s unclear if BYD and others will be able to make inroads in the United States. American consumers and government officials are generally skeptical of China and its intentions, and the country’s record for data security and trademark laws hasn’t done much to assuage those fears. Tesla reigns supreme here, but Ford, Hyundai, Kia, and others have made significant steps toward knocking the company out of its top spot.
[Image: Roberty Way via Shutterstock]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Popcorn munching and watching the Asian conflict for battery tech supremacy unfold.
As long as I have prior knowledge, I will never buy a vehicle made in china.
Pass. If the ever need to scratch some sort of Chinese car itch I’ll just grab one of GM’s offerings free m Buick
You know, I've noticed a few Chinese EV's being featured on some British automotive YouTube channels I watch over the last week or so. My feelings on a Chinese vehicles aside- it would seem to me that if people are genuinely concerned about Chinese EV's in their markets, then the automotive press ceasing to basically advertise for them is a good way to start loosening up the ground they're paving. Much like the Kardashians, the only thing keeping them relevant is that people talk about them. If we stopped shoving cameras in their face, there's no redeeming human qualities left to keep them famous and rich. Those cameras keep appearing because they're revenue generators. If BYD isn't paying outlets to review and document their vehicles, there's no real incentive to feature it or write articles about it, right?