The Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has surpassed the American company Tesla in the number of cars sold in European Union countries for the first time in a month. This was reported by Upl.uz.
Reuters news agency reported this based on data from the analytical company JATO Dynamics. In April 2025, 7,231 electric vehicles of the BYD brand were registered in Europe, which is nearly 2.7 times more than in April 2024.
In comparison, the number of registered Tesla vehicles decreased by 49 percent, reaching 7,165. JATO Dynamics analyst Felipe Munoz noted that this event marked a significant turning point in the European automotive market.
BYD has recently entered the European market. Until the summer of 2022, vehicles of this brand were only sold in Norway and the Netherlands.
Tesla, on the other hand, has been operating in the European market since 2014 and has an extensive sales network. Nevertheless, the Chinese company managed to outpace its American competitor.
In April 2025, the total sales of electric vehicles in the European Union increased by 28 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Demand for Chinese brands rose by 59 percent, even though the European Union has imposed customs duties on the import of these vehicles.
Among other Chinese brands, sales of Xpeng increased by 268 percent. In the electric vehicle segment, this figure is only surpassed by the 309 percent increase of the German company Porsche.
The decline in Tesla sales is not only observed in Europe. In the first quarter of 2025, deliveries in the company's key markets decreased.
In Germany, orders fell by 62 percent, in France by 41 percent, and in Norway and Portugal by 25 percent. In the United Kingdom, however, Tesla sales remained at the same level.
Outside of Europe, the situation has also worsened: deliveries in China decreased by 22 percent, and in the USA by 5 percent. Overall, in the first quarter of 2025, Tesla sales dropped by 13 percent, and the company's revenue fell by 20 percent compared to the same period in 2024.
Analysts attribute the decline in Tesla sales to several factors. These include a temporary halt in the production of the updated version of the new Model Y electric vehicle and the anticipation of a cheaper model being released.
Additionally, in recent months, there have been protests in some countries against the political views of Tesla's CEO Elon Musk. In 2024, BYD became China's leading car manufacturer, with its electric vehicles ranking among the top sellers in Norway.
Norway is traditionally considered the leader in Europe in terms of the share of electric vehicles.
