South Korean media: The Chinese company once mocked by Musk is now the number one in the world!
On January 21, the South Korean media "Global Economy" published an article stating that BYD, a Chinese company, has finally surpassed Tesla, becoming the world's largest pure electric vehicle manufacturer in terms of annual sales.
BYD recently announced that its global sales of pure electric vehicles reached 2.26 million units in 2025, an increase of 28% compared to the previous year.
At the same time, Tesla announced that its total electric vehicle deliveries last year fell by 8% to 1.64 million units. Tesla stated that its total electric vehicle deliveries last year were 1.64 million units, a decrease of 8% year-on-year. In the fourth quarter of last year, car deliveries were 426,000 units, a sharp decline of 16% compared to the same period last year (495,570 units).
Therefore, BYD has surpassed Tesla to become the world's largest pure electric vehicle company. This is also the first time that BYD has exceeded Tesla in annual sales.
In October 2011, when Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, was interviewed by Bloomberg, he was asked whether BYD was a potential competitor. He smiled and said, "I don't think their products are very good," implying that he did not consider BYD as a competitor of Tesla.
However, BYD has surpassed Tesla for the first time in 14 years. Tesla's decline is particularly evident in Europe. From January to November last year, Tesla's car registrations in Europe dropped by 39%, while BYD's registrations increased by 240%.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1854892483947530/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.