[volkman10]

For the first time in decades Volkswagen was not the top selling brand. It lost this key position to BYD, which posted strong results thanks to its large, electrified lineup.

[shankar.balan]

The game has been disrupted. Chinese cars, are world class, judged purely as products. (Let’s leave the Patriotic card at home for now.)

This is the age old story. We just about get used to something as the ‘best’ until something totally different comes and disrupts it.

Just when we perfected the art of making bows and arrows, someone invented guns, rendering everything else obsolete, null and void.

Now, just because the Chinese had the gumption to change the rules completely, it would be totally unsporting of everyone else to sulk in the corner and say they dont want to play any more.

Finally, the consumers will vote with their wallets, irrespective. And I think the evidence is clear on which way the tide is turning.

(BTW I am seeing lots of BYD E6’s. And they look really nice and are really silent and appear very well finished. They look like far more suave, stylish, curvy and comfy Baby Innovas.)

[aim120]

4 out of the top 10 car manufacturers are chinese. BYD does sell a lot of IC/Hybrid cars in China but the exports are mostly EVs. BYD is fully vertically integrated hence are very competitive not even Hyundai/Kia make their own motor (sourced from Higen Korea) and battery cell from LG and SK Innovation.

[pgsagar]

There is no Kia in list. Don't they sell in China? It's surprising to see Honda at 4th spot and Hyundai at 20th. Why? BYD being on top is understandable. Checked out BYD Atto few days back. It's really a quality product. At least that's what it looked like. Hope it runs and lasts well.

[volkman10]

BYD's figures spooking Europe: its €10,000 plug-in hybrid sweeps 23,590 orders in a week.

BYD wants to end 2024 as the world's largest electric car maker, a milestone it has within reach. Their new releases have been a success, racking up thousands of bookings in just a few days.

A few days ago, BYD presented the new edition of one of its most popular sedans, the Qin Plus. The year has started particularly intensely within the company. After closing a successful 2023, being the largest manufacturer of NEV vehicles in the world, hybrids and electrics, BYD expects to be able to conclude 2024 as the largest manufacturer of electric cars on the planet, far exceeding the figures of its largest and to date only rival, Tesla. To achieve this, they propose a trade war that no one is able to match.

As for the plug-in hybrid model, the Qin Plus DM-i, it has a petrol engine associated with an electrical scheme that combined allows up to 197 horsepower and 325 Nm of torque to be exposed. The electric part is powered by batteries with up to 18.32 kWh of capacity. The official range under the Chinese homologation cycle (CLTC) is a maximum of 120 kilometers. Regarding the all-electric model, BYD assures that it is capable of reaching homologated ranges between 420 and 510 kilometers, both measurements made under the CLTC protocol.

Although we are not talking about extraordinary data, the launch price has been attractive enough to convince 23,590 customers in just one week of life, since last February 19. The Qin Plus family starts its rates at 79,800 yuan, which at the currency exchange rate is just 10,200 euros. The most expensive of all is the powerful electric model, whose starting retail price is 109,800 yuan, a mere 14,120 euros at the exchange rate. You don't need to look for it, we tell you, there is no car with similar characteristics for that price for sale in Europe.

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[volkman10]

BYD is getting seven more cargo ships as Chinese firms rush to meet export demand.

In January, BYD launched its first cargo ship exclusively for vehicle exports, and over the coming two years, it plans to add an extra seven car carriers to its fleet in a bid to boost its global sales and exports even further.

The first cargo ship built for BYD can carry up to 7,000 vehicles and was the first car carrier built in a Chinese shipyard to be used solely to export local vehicles overseas. It was built by CIMC Raffles, while construction of the next two cargo ships recently commenced in Guangzhou. They are being made by CSSC Offshore & Marine Engineering and will each have the capacity to carry 7,000 vehicles.

It is not just BYD that is looking to secure greater shipping capacity. State-owned SAIC plans to secure 14 car carriers within the next three years through its logistics company SAIC Anji Logistics, with some of them having the capacity to carry 9,000 vehicles. Chinese ship owners had 37 car carriers on order in November with a combined capacity of 290,000 vehicles.

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