Chinese automotive group BYD delivered 321,123 new energy vehicles in April, including fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The result was higher than in March, but lower than a year earlier.
The strongest part of BYD’s April performance was exports. Overseas sales of BYD passenger cars and pickup trucks reached 134,542 units. This represents an increase of around 71% year on year and the highest monthly level in the company’s history. Sales outside China already accounted for more than 40% of the manufacturer’s total monthly volume.
BYD’s growing exports reflect the global shift towards electric vehicles, driven by rising fuel prices and concerns over energy security. The company’s advantage, however, comes from a combination of attractive pricing, rapid updates to its model range and the efficient development of sales structures outside China. This helps BYD overcome distrust towards new brands in foreign markets.
BYD is expanding its presence in Europe, South America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, among other regions. In the first months of 2026, key export markets included Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The company is also signalling further plans to increase overseas sales, which may gradually reduce its dependence on the Chinese market.
The situation in China, however, remains more difficult. BYD’s total sales in April were lower than a year earlier, marking a continuation of year-on-year declines. The results were affected by weaker domestic demand, changes in support mechanisms for electric vehicles and very strong price competition.
China’s NEV market remains one of the most competitive in the world. BYD is under pressure from manufacturers including Geely, Xiaomi, Leapmotor, Zeekr, Nio and XPeng. Some of these companies are rapidly increasing deliveries, especially in selected price and technology segments.
An additional challenge for BYD is pressure on profitability. Competition in China is forcing promotions and price cuts, while export growth involves costs related to logistics, homologation, building dealer networks and developing local sales structures. This means that rapid growth in overseas sales does not necessarily translate automatically into a proportional increase in margins.
