By Chris Isidore, John Liu, CNN(CNN) — In 2011, Tesla CEO Elon Musk dismissed Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD as a competitor. The Chinese car giant has overtaken Tesla as the world’s largest seller of EVs, according to 2025 data released by the two rivals this week. BYD was able to overtake Tesla even though its EVs are not available for purchase in America, while China is Tesla’s second-largest market. Reports by other automakers Monday are also likely to show weak US EV sales in the final three months of 2025. Rivals like Geely, China’s second-largest EV maker, fast-rising competitor Leapmotor and latecomer Xiaomi, which debuted its first EV only in 2024, have gradually eroded BYD’s domestic market share.

Source: CNN January 02, 2026 14:46 UTC