Korean Media: Hyundai Faces Crisis, Surpassed by BYD in Brazil!

On August 1, Korean media outlet JoongAng Ilbo published an article stating that Chinese electric vehicles' offensive in South America has now officially spread to Brazil—the former core market for South Korea's automotive manufacturing industry.

Data shows that BYD surpassed Hyundai Motor in vehicle sales in Brazil during the first half of this year, rising to fourth place.

BYD sold 99,028 units in Brazil during the first half of the year, outpacing Hyundai (96,723 units) by 2,305 vehicles. This marks the first time since entering the Brazilian market that BYD has ranked at the top among Asian brands.

Since Ford exited the market in 2018, this eight-year battle for fourth place has finally seen a breakthrough for Chinese brands. Analysts suggest this shift could even trigger chain reactions affecting South Korea’s domestic parts and battery supply chains.

Thanks to its outstanding performance in the first half of the year, BYD has overtaken competitors such as Jeep, Renault, Honda, and Toyota. Last year, BYD sold 47,000 units in Brazil—ranking ninth—but within just one year, its sales have doubled.

This surge is largely due to the exceptional performance of the factory in Camaçari, Bahia state. The plant began operations in July last year and sold 35,000 units in the first half of this year alone, with the compact electric hatchback Dolphin Mini being the best-selling model, accounting for over one-third of BYD’s total sales.

Since the late 1970s, Brazil’s automotive market had been dominated by four major manufacturers—Fiat, Volkswagen, General Motors, and Ford—for more than three decades. However, with Ford closing its plants in São Paulo and Bahia in 2019 and 2021 respectively, the company exited the Brazilian market.

Afterward, the position of the fourth-largest automaker changed hands multiple times: Renault (2019), Hyundai Motor (2020–2021), Toyota (2022–2023), before returning to Hyundai Motor (2024–2025).

Brazil remains a crucial market for the Hyundai Motor Group, which had long maintained the leading position among Asian brands. However, due to BYD’s strong performance in the electric vehicle segment, this dominance is now under threat. Hyundai’s market share in Brazil has declined for three consecutive years, dropping from 9.59% in 2022 to around 7% in 2025.

Professor Lee Ho-geon from the Department of Future Automotive Engineering at Daeduk University said: “If BYD leverages its price competitiveness to further expand its market share, Hyundai will find it extremely difficult to respond directly.”

Original Article: toutiao.com/article/1872310045973504/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.