The China Passenger Car Association published its August export ranking on 9 September. BYD exported more new-energy passenger cars than the next two brands combined, and Tesla’s China-built exports fell far enough to drop it from third place to fourth.
Affected#
Nobody’s car directly. It is the clearest available measure of how much of BYD’s output is aimed outside China, which is the number behind every question about parts supply, dealer investment and how long a model stays available in a European market.
Confirmed#
August exports of new-energy passenger vehicles, by share:
| Brand | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BYD | 35.4 % |
| 2 | Geely | 13.5 % |
| 3 | Chery | 13.2 % |
| 4 | Tesla China | 7.0 % |
| 5 | Changan | 5.5 % |
BYD exported 183,746 passenger new-energy vehicles in August, and its share rose 3.2 points from July’s 32.2 per cent. Tesla China’s share fell to 7.0 per cent from 12.3 per cent, with exports down 45.5 per cent on July.
Across January to August, BYD exported 1,126,797 new-energy vehicles for a 33.9 per cent share. Tesla China was fourth over the same period, with 331,443 vehicles and 10.0 per cent.
Unconfirmed#
- Where they went. The association ranks by volume leaving China, not by destination. None of this says how many arrived in Europe.
- Why Tesla fell. A 45.5 per cent month-on-month drop in exports from one plant is more consistent with a production or shipping cycle than with demand, but the data does not say which, and neither does Tesla.
- How this squares with BYD’s own number. BYD reported 189,466 exports for August against the association’s 183,746. The two count different things: this table is passenger new-energy vehicles as counted by the association, and BYD’s figure is its own total. We have not reconciled them.