BYD Sells Record Half a Million Plug-In Cars in Blowout Month

(Bloomberg) — BYD Co. kicked off the final quarter of the year with record monthly sales, continuing its strong performance in what is typically a peak season for auto purchases in China.

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The manufacturer’s global passenger-car sales jumped 66% to a record 500,526 units in October, it said Friday. While BYD reached the half-million milestone earlier than expected, Western manufacturers including Volkswagen AG are struggling in the world’s biggest auto market.

Demand for BYD’s plug-in hybrids was strongest, reaching 310,912 deliveries, with the remainder fully electric models. Some of the company’s newer hybrids come with upgraded powertrains that allow for more than 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) of range.

Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Stellantis NV are among legacy automakers struggling in China. The country has been a major profit driver for Western brands that are now witnessing sales of combustion-engine cars shift to domestic electric models. BYD hit the half-a-million mark one month earlier than what Citibank analyst Jeff Chung predicted.

The stunning ascent of BYD is stoking fears that China is on the cusp of global auto dominance at the expense of American and European rivals. The European Union earlier this week imposed higher tariffs on EVs from the Asian market, ratcheting up trade tensions.

It remains to be seen whether BYD can turn its domestic dominance into meaningful market share gains abroad. Its October overseas sales stalled at around 31,200 — despite a marketing push over the summer in regions like Europe, where it sponsored the European Championship football tournament.

BYD wasn’t alone in hitting monthly records. Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. did too, selling 226,686 vehicles in October, up 28% year-on-year. Smaller Chinese carmaker Xpeng Inc. also reached a fresh high with 23,917 deliveries.

Li Auto Inc., whose Hong Kong-listed stock plunged almost 10% Friday after softer fourth-quarter guidance, sold 51,443 units, still up 27% but shy of a monthly record. Nio Inc. sales slipped month-on-month.

Shenzhen-based BYD notched up another milestone last month when it reported revenue for the third quarter that surpassed Tesla Inc.

The carmaker’s revenue soared 24% to 201.1 billion yuan ($28.3 billion) for the three months that ended in September, falling short of estimates but exceeding Tesla’s $25.2 billion in sales for the same period.