A BYD imported car is parked at the port of Yokohama on March 27, 2025.
Tomohiro Osumi | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Chinese car giant BYD expected to dethrone US rival on Friday tesla As the world’s largest electric vehicle seller on a calendar year basis.
The milestone would cap an extraordinary rise for BYD, which Tesla Inc.’s Elon Musk once fired after laughing at its products in a 2011 Bloomberg interview.
Both automakers are expected to announce their final annual sales figures for 2025, but based on available sales data, it seems almost certain that BYD will officially surpass Tesla.
BYD said in a statement on Thursday that sales of battery-powered vehicles increased by nearly 28% to 2.26 million units. Tesla has not yet announced its 2025 sales figures, but is expected to do so on the same day.
Tesla on Monday averaged a forecast of 1.6 million vehicles delivered in 2025, down about 8% from 2024, marking the company’s second straight year of declines.
Deliveries are the closest thing to Tesla’s reported sales, but they are not precisely defined in the company’s shareholder communications.
Tesla has endured a roller coaster ride this year. The company’s stock price plummeted in the first quarter of 2025 amid fierce competition, particularly from Chinese EV makers, and a reputational hit due to Mr. Musk’s inflammatory political comments.
But the stock has soared in recent weeks, hitting a high of $489.88 at the close last month after Mr. Musk said the company was testing self-driving cars without passengers in Austin, Texas, about six months after launching a safety driver testing program.
—CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.
