BYD April Sales Fall for Eighth Straight Month as Rivals Hit Records

CNBC reported Monday that BYD logged its eighth consecutive month of falling passenger vehicle deliveries in April, even as the Chinese automaker’s export volumes reached a new peak.

BYD shifted 314,100 new energy passenger vehicles last month. That figure, covering both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models, represented a 15.7% drop from a year earlier. Sequentially, deliveries rose 6.2% from March.

Exports Provide a Rare Bright Spot

Overseas shipments told a different story. BYD’s April exports climbed to 135,098 units, a new company record and a jump of more than 70% compared with April 2025. The divergence between shrinking home sales and surging foreign demand points to BYD’s deepening dependence on international markets as domestic rivalry intensifies.

The pressure on BYD’s bottom line is already visible. The company reported a roughly 55% year-on-year drop in first-quarter profit, with operating revenue declining 11.8% to around 150 billion yuan ($22 billion).

Rivals Post Record Highs

Where BYD struggled, several competitors thrived. Stellantis-backed Leapmotor delivered 71,387 vehicles in April, a new monthly record and a 73.9% increase from a year prior. The company turned its first annual profit in 2025 and is pushing international expansion through a joint venture with Stellantis, with more than 800 outlets across Europe.

Geely’s premium brand Zeekr also hit a monthly peak, shipping 31,787 units, a 131.6% year-on-year surge. Xiaomi crossed 30,000 EV deliveries for the month, up more than 7% annually, and has reportedly accumulated over 70,000 pre-orders for its refreshed SU7 sedan.

Nio delivered 29,356 vehicles, a 22.8% annual gain that includes output from its budget-oriented Onvo and Firefly sub-brands. Li Auto was roughly flat at 34,085 units, while Xpeng joined BYD in negative territory, posting an 11.5% year-on-year decline with 31,011 deliveries following the mid-month launch of its new GX SUV.

BYD’s Push Beyond China

BYD has set an ambition of exporting more than one million vehicles in 2026. The automaker already commands roughly 70% of EV sales in Mexico and about 75% in Argentina, according to consultancy Latam Mobility. European registrations of BYD passenger EVs rose more than 155% year-on-year across the EU, EFTA, and the UK in the first quarter of 2026, per data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

The company has manufacturing facilities operating in Brazil and Hungary, though those plants have faced scrutiny over reported labor conditions.

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