The secret to BYD’s success is simple: The company makes high-tech electric and hybrid cars and sells them at incredible prices. The tiny BYD Seagull costs as little as $8,000 in China, and it’s a megahit in several countries. The Chinese car industry—not just BYD but also its many competitors that also make affordable cars—is quickly taking over the world. In Europe, Chinese models make up nearly 10 percent of new-car sales, in large part because they’re typically thousands of dollars cheaper than options from homegrown Volkswagen and Renault. And in Mexico, about 20 percent of new cars are made in China.
lørdag 24. januar 2026
The Firewall Against Chinese Cars Is Cracking
Two decades ago, a California company called Tesla Motors almost single-handedly created the electric vehicle as we now know it. Elon Musk’s company has dominated the industry across the globe ever since. But last year, for the first time in a long time, the world’s biggest seller of EVs wasn’t Tesla. It was the Chinese auto giant BYD.
The secret to BYD’s success is simple: The company makes high-tech electric and hybrid cars and sells them at incredible prices. The tiny BYD Seagull costs as little as $8,000 in China, and it’s a megahit in several countries. The Chinese car industry—not just BYD but also its many competitors that also make affordable cars—is quickly taking over the world. In Europe, Chinese models make up nearly 10 percent of new-car sales, in large part because they’re typically thousands of dollars cheaper than options from homegrown Volkswagen and Renault. And in Mexico, about 20 percent of new cars are made in China.
The secret to BYD’s success is simple: The company makes high-tech electric and hybrid cars and sells them at incredible prices. The tiny BYD Seagull costs as little as $8,000 in China, and it’s a megahit in several countries. The Chinese car industry—not just BYD but also its many competitors that also make affordable cars—is quickly taking over the world. In Europe, Chinese models make up nearly 10 percent of new-car sales, in large part because they’re typically thousands of dollars cheaper than options from homegrown Volkswagen and Renault. And in Mexico, about 20 percent of new cars are made in China.
