BYD Auto

BYD Auto Co., Ltd. (Chinese: 比亚迪汽车; pinyin: Bǐyàdí Qìchē) is the automotive subsidiary of BYD Company, a publicly listed Chinese multinational manufacturing company. It manufactures passenger battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)—collectively known as new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China—along with electric buses and electric trucks. The company sells its vehicles under its main BYD brand as well as its high-end brands, which are Denza, Fangchengbao and Yangwang.

BYD Auto was established in January 2003 as a subsidiary of BYD Company, a battery manufacturer, following the acquisition and restructuring of Xi'an Qinchuan Automobile. The first car designed by BYD, the petrol engined BYD F3, began production in 2005. In 2008, BYD launched its first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the BYD F3DM, followed by the BYD e6, its first battery electric vehicle, in 2009.

Since 2020, BYD Auto has experienced substantial sales growth that is driven by the increasing market share of new energy vehicles in China. The company has expanded into overseas markets from 2021, mainly to Europe, Southeast Asia, Oceania and the Americas. In 2022, BYD ended production of purely internal combustion engined vehicles to focus on new energy vehicles.

The company is characterised by its extensive vertical integration, leveraging BYD group's expertise in producing batteries and other related components such as electric motors and electronic controls. Most components used in BYD vehicles are claimed to be produced in-house within the group. As of 2024, BYD's battery subsidiary FinDreams Battery is the world's second largest producer of electric vehicle batteries behind CATL. It specialises in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, including BYD's proprietary Blade battery.

BYD is the best-selling car brand in China since 2023, after surpassing Volkswagen, which had held the title since the liberalisation of the Chinese automotive industry. In 2024, nearly 90 percent of BYD's sales came from the Chinese market. BYD is also the third most valuable car manufacturer in the world, based on market capitalization. The company has faced scrutiny and criticism related to its business practices, including allegations of aggressive price reductions, labor issues at its facilities, and various environmental concerns.