Chinese NEV giant BYD is accelerating high-quality growth on the back of sustained R&D investment during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, having expanded its industrial scale and advanced overseas.
BYD's new energy vehicle sales have risen rapidly in recent years. While the company's one-millionth NEV rolled off the line in 2021, by 2023, that figure had climbed to five million. Cumulative NEV sales have now surpassed 13.4 million units, with the company saying that BYD continues to lead the global NEV market.
The growth momentum has continued in 2025. From January to August, BYD sold 2,863,876 vehicles worldwide, including 630,728 units in overseas markets. In August alone, total sales reached 373,626 units, while overseas sales of passenger cars and pickups came in at 80,464 units, up 146.4 percent year-on-year, making overseas markets a key growth driver.
BYD attributes the rapid sales growth to sustained investment in research and development. The company said its cumulative R&D spending has exceeded 210 billion yuan ($29.44 billion).
In the first half of 2025, BYD unveiled a slate of technologies – most notably the "God's Eye" advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS), the Super e-Platform with Megawatt Flash Charging, and the Lingyuan intelligent vehicle-mounted drone system — which it says are helping to drive industry-wide innovation.
According to BYD, God's Eye now supports map-free city navigation on autopilot nationwide. Since the company's smart-technology strategy event in February, around 1.2 million vehicles equipped with the system have been sold, placing BYD among the leaders in China by sales of models equipped for intelligent driving and making God's Eye one of the most widely installed ADAS suites in the market.
BYD claims the Super e-Platform with Megawatt Flash Charging delivers the highest peak charging power among mass-produced models, with a 1,000-kilowatt architecture, and can add about 400 kilometers of range in just five minutes.
BYD's technology leadership is also reflected in intellectual property. According to rankings released by China Auto Information Technology (Tianjin) recently, BYD placed first in China for granted patents across three categories – NEV technologies, hybrid technologies and pure electric technologies.
Overseas expansion has also gathered pace. In 2024, BYD's passenger vehicle overseas sales reached 417,200 units, up 72 percent year-on-year. In the first half of 2025, BYD said it ranked No 1 by NEV sales in several markets, including Italy, Turkiye, Spain and Brazil.
To support global logistics, the company operates seven Ro-Ro (roll-on/roll-off) car carriers, and its NEV products have entered more than 116 countries and regions to date.
