Chinese automaker BYD sold more electric vehicles in Europe than Tesla for the first time, according to a report by JATO Dynamics, as an ageing model lineup and CEO Elon Musk’s politics hurt demand for the US EV maker’s cars.
BYD, which also makes plug-in hybrid vehicles, registered 7,231 battery-powered electric vehicles (BEV) in Europe in April, while Tesla registered 7,165 units, the market research firm said.
“This is a watershed moment for Europe’s car market, particularly when you consider that Tesla has led the European BEV market for years, while BYD only officially began operations beyond Norway and the Netherlands in late 2022,” JATO Dynamics’ global analyst Felipe Munoz said.
Demand for electric vehicles in Europe remains steady. BEV registrations surged 28 per cent in April from last year, largely driven by Chinese car brands.
Despite the EU’s imposition of tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, registrations of such cars increased 59 per cent in the month from a year earlier, while carmakers from Europe, Japan, South Korea and the United States recorded 26 per cent growth.
