A BYD Datang SUV on display at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2026. Credit: CnEVPost
- As the retrofit of the second-generation Blade Battery production line nears completion, BYD’s sales are improving rapidly.
- BYD’s overseas sales reached a record 160,644 units in May, soaring 80.40% year-on-year.
BYD (HKEX: 1211) posted a slim year-on-year increase in wholesale sales in May, ending the company’s previous eight consecutive months of sales decline, as the Chinese automaker benefits from strong demand in overseas markets.
BYD saw wholesale sales of 383,453 new energy vehicles (NEVs) in May, a marginal increase of 0.26% from the same period last year. Compared with April, the company’s sales achieved a significant month-on-month growth of 19.41 percent.
Despite signs of recovery in the single-month performance, overall annual sales remain under pressure. In the January-to-May period this year, BYD’s cumulative NEV sales were 1,405,039 units, still down 20.32% from the same period last year.
BYD Monthly NEV Sales 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
201,493
300,538
210,051
February
122,311
322,846
190,190
March
302,459
377,420
300,222
April
313,245
380,089
321,123
May
331,817
382,476
383,453
June
341,658
382,585
July
342,383
344,296
August
373,083
373,626
September
419,426
396,270
October
502,657
441,706
November
506,804
480,186
December
514,809
420,398
BYD monthly NEV sales
2024
2025
2026
Passenger NEVs sold 376,990 units in May, essentially flat with the 376,930 units in the same period of the full year, and up 20.02% from April.
BYD Monthly Passenger NEV Sales 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
201,019
296,446
205,518
February
121,748
318,233
187,782
March
301,631
371,419
295,693
April
312,048
372,615
314,100
May
330,488
376,930
376,990
June
340,211
377,628
July
340,799
341,030
August
370,854
371,501
September
417,603
393,060
October
500,526
436,856
November
504,003
474,921
December
509,440
414,784
BYD monthly passenger NEV sales
2024
2025
2026
BYD’s passenger battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales were 198,674 units in May, down 2.79% year-on-year, but up by 26.59% from April.
BYD Monthly Passenger BEV Sales 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
105,304
125,377
83,249
February
54,908
124,902
79,539
March
139,902
166,109
147,601
April
134,465
195,740
156,944
May
146,395
204,369
198,674
June
145,179
206,884
July
130,000
177,887
August
148,470
199,585
September
164,956
205,050
October
189,614
222,559
November
198,065
237,540
December
207,734
190,712
BYD monthly passenger BEV sales
2024
2025
2026
Its passenger plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales were 178,316 units in May, achieving year-on-year growth of 3.34% and rising 13.46% compared with April.
BYD Monthly Passenger PHEV Sales 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
95,715
171,069
122,269
February
66,840
193,331
108,243
March
161,729
205,310
148,092
April
177,583
176,875
157,156
May
184,093
172,561
178,316
June
195,032
170,744
July
210,799
163,143
August
222,384
171,916
September
252,647
188,010
October
310,912
214,297
November
305,938
237,381
December
301,706
224,072
BYD monthly passenger PHEV sales
2024
2025
2026
The explosive growth in overseas markets was the biggest highlight of the May performance.
BYD’s overseas sales reached a record 160,644 units in May, soaring 80.40% year-on-year. This contributed 42% of the month’s total NEV sales.
BYD Monthly Overseas Passenger NEV Sales 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
36,174
66,336
100,482
February
23,291
67,025
100,600
March
38,434
72,723
120,083
April
41,011
79,086
135,098
May
37,499
89,047
160,644
June
26,995
90,049
July
30,014
80,737
August
31,451
80,813
September
33,012
71,256
October
31,192
83,904
November
30,977
131,935
December
57,154
133,172
BYD monthly overseas passenger NEV sales
2024
2025
2026
By contrast, sales in China’s domestic market remained weak. BYD’s domestic sales in May were 222,809 units, down 24.07% year-on-year. However, this figure was up 19.77% from March.
BYD Monthly China Domestic Sales 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
165,319
234,202
109,569
February
99,020
255,821
89,590
March
264,025
304,697
180,139
April
272,234
301,003
186,025
May
294,318
293,429
222,809
June
314,663
292,536
July
312,369
263,559
August
341,632
292,813
September
386,414
325,014
October
471,465
357,802
November
475,827
348,251
December
457,655
287,226
BYD monthly China domestic sales
2024
2025
2026
The commercial NEV business also showed some resilience in May. The segment sold a total of 6,463 units in May, up 16.53% year-on-year. But in the first five months of this year, cumulative commercial NEV sales were still down 9.99% year-on-year.
BYD Monthly Commercial NEV Sales 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
474
4,092
4,533
February
563
4,613
2,408
March
828
6,001
4,529
April
1,197
7,474
7,023
May
1,329
5,546
6,463
June
1,447
4,957
July
1,584
3,266
August
2,229
2,125
September
1,823
3,210
October
2,131
4,850
November
2,801
5,265
December
5,369
5,614
BYD monthly commercial NEV sales
2024
2025
2026
The preliminary recovery in sales comes as the company goes through a painful technological transition. BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu previously warned that the company is facing severe challenges from a battery capacity shortage.
At the core of the capacity crunch is a comprehensive overhaul of production lines. BYD is switching from the first-generation Blade Battery to the second-generation product with flash charging capability, which has significantly extended the delivery cycles of several main models.
This production pressure was especially evident at the premium personalized brand Fang Cheng Bao. Deliveries of the Tai 3 flash charging SUV were once forced to be postponed from mid-April to May, with executives even personally traveling to factories in multiple locations to oversee efforts to boost capacity.
As the production line upgrade gradually wraps up in May, the capacity bottleneck is expected to ease. Wang said capacity will continue to be released, monthly sales will enter a channel of steady growth, and a delivery ramp-up is expected after June.
BYD intensively launched multiple new vehicles in May, bringing the 2026 Sealion 06 DM-i and the Song Ultra DM-i to market.
Both plug-in hybrid SUVs, equipped with the fifth-generation DM technology, start at 129,900 yuan ($19,201). They not only offer a combined range of up to 1,845 km but also introduce advanced smart driving systems.
The Song Ultra DM-i is the first to feature an AI agent with active interaction capabilities, responding to the AI trend that has been popular in China over the past few months.
In the all-electric segment, BYD launched the third-generation Yuan Plus to defend its share of the compact market. The new vehicle’s starting price is set at 119,900 yuan, and it comes standard with the second-generation Blade Battery and flash charging technology.
In addition, BYD is accelerating its expansion into the premium market. The Datang, the first D-segment flagship SUV in its Dynasty lineup, is expected to officially go on sale in mid-June.
The full-size SUV, with a pre-sales price starting at 250,000 yuan, has received a strong market response, with pre-orders rapidly surpassing 100,000 units within the first two weeks of opening pre-sales.
The recovery in sales is crucial to improving the company’s financial position. Previously, due to the price war and surging supply chain costs, BYD’s net profit fell sharply by 55.38% in the first quarter.
Based on the data released so far, most automakers saw a rebound in sales in May, gradually emerging from the off-season that began at the start of the year.
($1 = 6.7653 yuan)
