BYD April Sales Slide for Eighth Month as Rivals Set Records

CNBC reported Monday that BYD‘s passenger electric vehicle deliveries fell for an eighth consecutive month in April, extending a prolonged domestic sales drought even as the company’s export numbers reached an all-time high.

The Shenzhen-based automaker shipped 314,100 new energy passenger vehicles last month. That figure — covering both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models — represented a 15.7% year-on-year decline. Month-on-month, however, volumes edged up 6.2% from March.

Exports Offer a Rare Bright Spot

Overseas shipments provided meaningful relief. BYD’s April export figure climbed to 135,098 units, a company record and more than 70% above the level seen in April 2025. The gap between BYD’s domestic struggles and its overseas momentum highlights how heavily the automaker now leans on international markets to sustain growth.

Europe has become a key front. New registrations of BYD passenger EVs across the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, and the United Kingdom rose more than 155% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. The company has also reportedly sought membership in that lobby group, signalling deeper ambitions on the continent.

Rivals Log Historic Months at Home

While BYD stumbled domestically, several competitors posted their strongest months on record. Stellantis-backed Leapmotor delivered 71,387 units in April, a company best and nearly 74% above the prior-year figure. Leapmotor turned its first annual profit in 2025 and is expanding across Europe and Latin America through its Stellantis joint venture.

Geely‘s premium EV brand Zeekr also set a monthly record with 31,787 deliveries, more than doubling its April 2025 total. Xiaomi surpassed 30,000 EV deliveries, a 7%-plus year-on-year gain, with reports of over 70,000 pre-orders for an upgraded version of its SU7 sedan adding further momentum.

Nio delivered 29,356 vehicles last month, a roughly 23% improvement year-on-year, counting its lower-cost Onvo and Firefly marques. Li Auto held nearly flat at 34,085 units. Xpeng was the one other decliner, posting 31,011 April deliveries — an 11.5% year-on-year drop following its mid-month GX SUV launch.

BYD’s Profitability Pressure Mounts

The sales slide follows a bruising first quarter for BYD’s bottom line. The company reported a near 55% year-on-year profit drop in Q1 2026, with operating revenue contracting roughly 12% to around 150 billion yuan. Margin pressure reflects both price competition at home and the cost of accelerating its global footprint, which now includes manufacturing plants in Brazil and Hungary.

BYD has set an overseas shipment target of more than one million units for full-year 2026, underscoring how critical international demand has become to its growth story.

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