China EV sales outpace gas cars as BYD sets new record
China’s passenger vehicle sales rose 11.2% in October YoY, led by EV giant BYD, marking the fastest growth since January amid automakers’ push to meet annual sales targets. Total sales reached 2.28 million in October, while cumulative sales for the first 10 months grew 3% to 17.99 million, despite economic challenges. Government subsidies for greener vehicles supported demand, with EVs and plug-in hybrids making up 52.5% of sales, outselling gasoline cars for the fourth consecutive month. BYD set a record, selling over 500,000 units in October and achieving 81% of its annual goal, while other local brands like Geely and Xiaomi saw strong progress toward their targets. BYD now leads with a 15.8% market share, widening its gap over Volkswagen and Toyota, and is projected to dominate the global vehicle platform market by 2031. However, export growth slowed ahead of new EU tariffs on Chinese EVs.