BYD overtakes Tesla in Europe for the first time

Chinse automaker BYD sold more electric vehicle (EV) than US EV maker Tesla in the European market for the first time in April. The Chinese EV giant has reported a 169-percent surge in sales last month as Tesla stumbles, according to data from market research firm Jato Dynamics on Thursday. 

The data showed that BYD sold 7,231 battery-powered EVs in April, outpacing Tesla, which sold 7,165 units during the same period, said the market research firm. 

Against the backdrop of a 28-percent overall growth in the European EV market, Tesla's sales plummeted by 49 percent. Analysts called this a "watershed moment" for the European EV market. 

For the month of April, Renault, Škoda, Volkswagen, Audi and BMW also outsold Tesla in pure electric cars, the data showed.

BYD outsold Tesla by an even wider margin when including the carmaker's plug-in hybrid EVs. The Chinese company's total sales soared 359 percent in April from a year earlier, Jato Dynamics said.

"Although the gap in monthly sales volume between the two automakers is not yet significant, the impact is substantial. This marks a watershed moment for the European EV market," Felipe Munoz, an analyst at Jato, said. 

Beyond Europe, Tesla's sales in China fell by 6 percent year-on-year in April, marking the seventh consecutive month of year-on-year declines.

Meanwhile, BYD is eyeing rapid expansion overseas, as it unveiled the Dolphin Surf, the European version of its cheap Seagull EV, on Wednesday. In 2024, BYD's overseas sales reached 417,200 units, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Data showed that in the first quarter of 2025, BYD's car carriers transported more than 25,000 new-energy vehicles (NEVs) overseas. To date, BYD's NEVs have reached over 400 cities in more than 100 countries and regions worldwide, per Xinhua.

This marks a breakthrough for the Chinese brand's efforts to expand into overseas markets.

On a global level, BYD has overtaken Tesla in the future readiness rankings, an indicator referring to a company's ability to anticipate and adapt to external changes, according to a report released Tuesday by a Swiss business school, Xinhua reported.

Chinese companies' localization efforts allow Western audiences to recognize them not just as Chinese brands with advanced technology, but as truly global enterprises that adapt to local markets, per Xinhua.