
Chinese EVs blow past Tesla and tariffs en route to global reign
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Julian Scot-Smith was window shopping at a Porsche dealership with his wife in London’s fancy Mayfair district before Christmas, sizing up the SUVs. Then the couple peeked into another dealership around the corner.
“We were thinking of treating ourselves to one of the German brands, but these Chinese cars look fantastic," said Scot-Smith, eyeing the $60,000 BYD Sealion 7. Not long ago, few would buy the idea that a Chinese electric-vehicle maker such as BYD could sweep European buyers off their feet, competing against Volkswagen, Toyota and even such luxury brands as BMW and Porsche. Yet BYD is leading a pack of Chinese automakers whose global export onslaught has surpassed even bullish expectations.
The Shenzhen-based automaker delivered more than a million vehicles outside China in 2025, the company said, more than double the previous year’s total. China surpassed Japan in 2023 as the world’s No. 1 auto exporter.
Last year, it shipped 7.1 million vehicles from its pool of domestic automakers, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, up from 5.9 million the previous year. BYD, which replaced Tesla as the world’s biggest EV seller, is one of Beijing’s national champions. “BYD wants to become one of the most relevant players in Europe, and in a very short period," said Alfredo Altavilla, a veteran industry executive advising the company.
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