BYD Overtakes Tesla as World's Leading Electric Car Maker, Records 30 Lakh Annual Sales in 2023

In the global market, BYD, the Chinese automaker, is a strong rival of Tesla. Nonetheless, when it comes to sales, the Elon Musk-owned brand has consistently outperformed its Chinese competitor. However, this time around, the Shenzhen-based firm has nearly captured the top spot in the EV industry. Between October and December of 2023, the brand recorded sales of 5.26 lakh cars. For the first time, BYD is ranked among the top ten worldwide automakers in terms of sales. With deliveries of 3.41 lakh units in December, a 45 per cent surge, the year's total sales of 30.24 lakh units represented a significant 61.9 per cent gain over the previous year. 

In contrast, industry reports indicate that between October and December last year, Tesla sold approximately 4.85 lakh electric vehicles, an increase of almost 11 per cent over the same period the previous year. Even though it lost its advantage in quarterly sales, the US-based manufacturer maintained its lead in annual sales, delivering almost 18 lakh electric cars to customers in the year that concluded in December—a 38 per cent increase. Compared to BYD's total sales of around 16 lakh units, which rose by 73 per cent annually, this was a notable rise.

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Compared to Tesla, BYD has an inherent advantage that could stimulate growth. The company began as a manufacturer of batteries before concentrating on building plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. In terms of pricing, the electric carmaker faces competition from Tesla in China and Europe. Even with strong sales, the company does not currently sell its cars in the US because of the high import duties. 

The China-based carmaker surpassed Tesla in the sales of only electric vehicles during the fourth quarter, selling more than 4 lakh plug-in hybrids. Meanwhile, over 30 lakh plug-in hybrids and electric cars were sold by the brand in the previous year.

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BYD Seal

BYD currently sells the Atto 3 and E6 models in India. The Seal sedan, which was on display at the 2023 Auto Expo, is all set to go on sale this year. It is equipped with an 82.5kWh battery pack and claims a driving range of 700-kilometre. The model can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.8 seconds. On the design front, the EV draws design cues from the Ocean X concept car. It sports split headlights, a boomerang-shaped LED daytime running light, and an all-glass roof (DRLs). It further gets diamond-cut alloy wheels, flush door handles, and a full-width LED light bar running across the width at the rear. 

The Seal's cabin layout is inspired by the ‘ocean’ theme. The air vents have a light blue accent and a wave-like design. The steering wheel features a flat bottom and three spokes. The primary screen is a 15.6-inch display, which flips between landscape and portrait settings, like that of the Atto 3. The standard version of the car, which is available worldwide, gets ten speakers. The most expensive variants, however, get 12 Dynaudio speakers.