Today is Saturday, I woke up early as need to complete some pending tasks and have some appointments.
My priority task is to have my winter service for my car, yes here in North America, we need to have winter and summer services where we swap winter tires just in case your eyes lit up hearing winter service.
I’ve finished the morning chores and reached the service center according to the appointment.
I handed over my car keys to Sandra, the receptionist at the center.
She said thank you with her smiling face and offered me the visitor entry card for the auto show for electric cars if I was willing to attend.
I obliged with a thank you.
Took the entry card and proceeded towards the hall, where they were having this show.
People are debating whether a hybrid plug-in is better than a complete electric car considering Mileage, charging stations, and charging duration challenges.
I intervened and said, still, Tesla is the number one electric car in the world, and they are working on overcoming all these challenges.
Sam was standing there with me, and he just said, “Wrong”, “Tesla is not the number one electric vehicle maker in the world“.
I was amazed and replied, “Really”, everybody knows, Tesla is number one in 2023. Sam completed; Tesla was number one but not anymore.
Are you serious, who is number one now? I grinned.
He said, “BYD” had just overtaken Tesla and become the number one electric car seller.
Honestly, I had never heard this name, so I was quiet and listening.
Sam continued, BYD is “Build Your Dream”, is a Chinese car manufacturer.
In the final quarter of 2023, BYD outsold Tesla in EV cars by 526,000 to 484,000.
This was news for me, and I was caught off guard by Sam.
Sam continued, most people don’t know about this transition as it happened recently, BYD just toppled Tesla off the perch it held since introducing the Model S in 2012.
A lot of questions, start framing in my mind, so I thought of offering him coffee and continue this over coffee chat.
Let’s have coffee in a nearby Starbucks and we will discuss there, I offered.
He smiled and said, Let’s go.
It was a 2-minute walk, we reached there, ordered our Latte, and sat on the couch in the corner.
I am fascinated by cars, though I have very little technical knowledge.
If someone asks me, what is a car?
I will say a car is a car, however, for the same question, Sam’s reply will be, Car is a machine, usually propelled by an internal combustion engine running on various types of fuels and now on batteries too.
I am sure, he is an engineer, need to confirm.
All these thoughts are coming into my mind while picking my coffee.
I started with, Is BYD available in North America?
He answered, that BYD electric cars are still not available in North America, however, BYD electric trucks, buses, and BYD batteries are available.
He said, do you know that Tesla is, then he said, how do you know, he laughed, and I joined him, and he completed his statement, Tesla is also using BYD batteries.
Really! I said, showing my amazement. I added that Tesla has a big battery plant in Nevada as per the information.
Yes, they have, Sam replied but they are using BYD batteries too. Most car makers use BYD batteries. He added.
BYD electric cars are not available in North America (US and Canada) as of now due to import duties and stuff, he further explained but this is a matter of time when they will be here.
So, in how many countries BYD is available? , my second question.
BYD sells vehicles in over 70 countries as compared to Tesla’s 35 countries, he answered.
I added, so it’s more than two times.
He nodded and added, that despite its unavailability in North America, BYD managed to sell more electric vehicles than Tesla.
You can Imagine the numbers if it is allowed to enter here.
Tesla has, how many models? He asked the questions and then answered it, Six.
I said, yes and counted all models in one breath. Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Tesla Semi, and Cybertruck as of 2023.
He added Tesla Semi is a truck, not a passenger car.
I nodded in affirmation.
Ok so how many models does BYD have, he smiled and answered, more than 10.
Ten is a big number, I raised my doubt.
Tesla is a pure electric vehicle-only battery-powered car, on the other hand, BYD is a mix of Plug-in hybrid and pure electric battery-only cars.
This is one of the reasons for the high number of sales, Sam explained.
He added that BYD’s lower price range as compared to Tesla’s is the second reason for the high number of sales.
What about performance, safety, and other specifications?
Which is the most popular BYD model?
How many cars are sold as compared to Tesla’s popular model?
I put all these questions in one breath.
Sam opened his mobile and started showing me the numbers.
Most Popular Model
As you know, Tesla’s Model Y is by far the bestselling Electric Vehicle among Tesla’s other models.
Qin Plus is a BYD bestseller-compact car that comes in hybrid and battery-only versions. This is one of the main tesla’s emerging competitors.
Qin Plus is top-ranked across all electric vehicles beating Tesla Y in 2023.
I believe the following vehicles from BYD can give tough competition to Tesla in 2024:
1. BYD DOLPHIN
BYD’s small Dolphin electric car has been awarded ‘Best Buy Car of Europe 2024’ by the AUTOBEST jury.
Its price point is between ($16,317 to $19,530) and its driving range is between 401 km to 420 km (249 miles to 260 miles).
2. BYD QIN PLUS
The compact car comes in hybrid and battery-only versions with a price range of ($13,942 to $24,700) and a driving range of 420 km to 610 km (261 miles to 379 miles).
For comparison, the Model Y has a driving range of 532 km to 688 km and currently sells for ($37,217 to $50,838) in China.
3. BYD SEAL
The BYD seal is about to kill the competition with its impressive value, state-of-the-art technology, and an impressive level of luxury.
It is the flagship sedan that is in direct competition with the Tesla Model-3.
BYD Seal comes in three variants ranging from $49500-$68700.BYD Seal range is 460 km-570 km.
4. BYD SONGPLUS
A compact SUV that comes in hybrid and battery-only versions.
The price point for this is between ($22,325 to $29,310) and the Range: is 520 km to 605 km (323 miles to 375 miles).
It has all the ingredients to become the number 1 best seller.
5. YAUNPLUS
BYD’s Yuan Plus is a compact, battery-only SUV with a price point of ($18,972 to $22,883) and a Range: of 430 km to 510 km (267 miles to 316 miles).
BYD celebrated a significant milestone as it rolled off the 500,000th BYD YUAN PLUS, just 19 months after its launch.
Tesla/BYD Top Models(Range/Price)
| S. No | Electric Cars | Range in KM | Price (Approx) |
| 1 | Tesla Model S | 634 km | $94,990 |
| 2 | Tesla Model S Plaid | 600 km | $129,900 |
| 3 | Tesla Model 3 | 491 km | $55,000 |
| 4 | Tesla Model X | 576 km | $79,900 |
| 5 | Tesla Model Y | 455 km | $80,000 |
| 6 | BYD Han | 521 km | $77,900 |
| 7 | BYD Seal | 460 km | $54,000 |
| 8 | BYD Dolphin | 424 km | $31,700 |
| 9 | BYD Tang | 528 km | $77,500 |
| 10 | BYD Atto 3 | 420 km | $48,000 |
All the information was overwhelming for me. I thanked Sam and asked the last question.
What do you think challenges both companies have in 2024?
He thought for a bit and said, you know each country is developing its regulations regarding electric vehicles.
Most countries want companies to manufacture cars in their country so that it can help to generate jobs.
From this perspective, Tesla has manufacturing plants in some countries, but BYD is importing EVs from China mainly.
Now they are expanding out of China to combat this challenge.
Moreover, Tesla needs to manufacture models in the compact car domain so that they can lower their price point to capture customers of all scales.
We both received a message from the service center that our cars were ready to pick up.
I thanked Sam for this information session and promised to cover up for this next time.
He smiled gently and said, anytime mate.
I picked up my car and drove back, thinking about our conversation.
I explored at home and found the following information which was in sync with Sam’s analysis.
BYD Surpasses Tesla
BYD on Jan. 1, 2024, announced record December sales of 341,043 EVs, including plug-in hybrids. Q4 sales hit 942,779, with full-year sales of 3,012,906, topping BYD’s target of 3m and topping Tesla for the first time and with a clear margin.
BYD is expanding massively overseas. It has penetrated most of Asia including India where it has two models.
It’s the No. 1 EV seller in Israel and has entered Europe.
BYD also has started deliveries in Mexico, as part of a big push throughout Latin America.
BYD has expanded in all directions, vertically and horizontally.
This shows how BYD is becoming an auto giant. Its model lineup continues to expand dramatically, with big moves upscale.
Tesla needs to work hard to develop a strategy to win back or maintain its top position by exploring new cost-efficient models and exploring new markets like India.
India is a big market and Tesla is not present there as of now.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there will be nail-biting competition to capture the top spot and become market leaders.
Each one is building its strategy to stay in the race.
Both brands have the potential to remain a leader in their segments. Both are emerging competitors to each other.