David Fickling, Columnist

It’s Not Tesla in BYD’s Sights. It’s the Whole Car Industry

The Chinese Buffett-backed EV maker is on the cusp of joining the ranks of formerly obscure car brands that conquered the world.

One to watch.

Bloomberg

It may be just one-tenth the size of Tesla Inc. in terms of market capitalization, but BYD Co. has just pulled ahead to become the world’s biggest producer of battery passenger cars. For its next trick, it’s going to take on the world.

To many, BYD still remains a little-known car brand, more familiar from business-news articles citing Warren Buffett’s 2008 investment in the Chinese EV maker than sightings of actual vehicles out on the road. And yet the vast volume of its sales in China, combined with a growing number overseas, means it overtook its American rival in the December quarter. The 526,409 delivered over the period pipped Tesla’s 484,507.