BYD

BYD was founded in Shenzhen by Wang Chuanfu in 1994 and incorporated in February 1995 as a nickel-cadmium battery maker. Wang is still chairman¹. It listed in Hong Kong in July 2002 and Shenzhen in June 2011¹. In September 2008 a Berkshire Hathaway Energy unit bought 225 million BYD shares at HK$8 each, about US$230 million. Berkshire reported the holding at zero as of 31 March 2025 and confirmed all shares were sold².

Blade Battery: lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells shaped like long, flat blades, fitted straight into the pack. Launched in March 2020, BYD says a cell passed a nail-penetration test with no smoke or fire (BYD's own test)³. In March 2026 BYD presented a second generation, claiming 10-97% in about nine minutes on its own Flash Chargers; this was not independently checked, and availability outside China was not stated⁸.

e-Platform 3.0 is BYD's electric-car platform. The Evo version (May 2024) uses a 12-in-1 drive unit, up from 8-in-1⁶.

DM-i is BYD's plug-in hybrid system. It is electric-first: the car runs mostly on the battery, and the petrol engine either generates power or joins the motors at high load⁷.

God's Eye is BYD's driver-assistance family. Version A uses three lidars, B one lidar, and C (DiPilot 100) cameras only. BYD said in February 2025 it would fit it across the range⁵.

Super e-Platform (March 2025) is a 1,000 V architecture with 1 MW (1,000 kW) charging power. BYD claims 400 km of range in 5 minutes on the Han L, launched first in China⁴.

BYD sells under the Dynasty and Ocean model families, plus the Denza, Fang Cheng Bao and Yangwang sub-brands¹². BYD-reported 2025 sales by model line: Song 788,003; Qin 661,090; Seagull 529,537; Seal 518,412; Sealion 426,581¹². For export, the models that matter most include Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 7 and the Seal U DM-i, which electrive called Europe's most successful plug-in hybrid in 2025²¹.

BYD sold 4,602,436 vehicles in 2025, including 2,256,714 battery-electric cars, ahead of Tesla's 1,636,129 deliveries⁹¹¹. Exports were 1,046,083⁹. In January-September 2026 total sales were 3,131,576 (down 3.9%) while overseas sales rose 92.7% to 1,342,960⁹¹⁰. Just Auto cites about 2.0 million overseas for 2026¹³.

Overseas plants: Rayong, Thailand (July 2024, 150,000 a year, right-hand drive)¹⁴; Camaçari, Brazil (since July 2025, 100,000th car in July 2026)¹⁵; Uzbekistan (since early 2024)¹⁶; Indonesia¹⁰. Hungary is scheduled to start in Q4 2026¹³. A Turkey plant is planned¹, with no confirmed date. In the EU, BYD pays a 17.0% countervailing duty on battery-electric cars, in force for five years from 30 October 2024²⁰.

Euro NCAP gave the Seal (adult 89%, child 87%, vulnerable road users 82%, safety assist 76%) and the Dolphin (89, 87, 85, 79%) five stars in October 2023¹⁷. It gave the Sealion 7 five stars in April 2025 (87, 93, 76, 79%), noting weak rear-passenger chest protection in one crash test¹⁸.

Dealer networks are growing fast: in Germany from 26 locations at the start of 2025 to about 190 in early 2026, with 350 targeted. German registrations were 23,306 in 2025; a 50,000 goal was missed²¹.

After-sales is the weak point. In Australia, reports cited long waits for spare parts and under-trained service staff. BYD Australia's chief operating officer said, "We've got work to do in that area," and the company is doubling its customer-service team¹⁹.

BYD suits buyers who want a wide choice from small city cars to plug-in hybrid family SUVs, in-house batteries and strong crash-test scores. It suits less well a buyer who needs fast, guaranteed after-sales where BYD has no authorised service point; check the nearest official dealer first.

You can buy new BYD cars through CRAVEUO. A licensed Chinese export company named in the contract sends the formal quote and handles the export, and the car is delivered to your door; you pay only after signing the contract. Tell us your country, drive side and budget, and we will say which model and version fit.