A fter years on top of the global electric vehicle market, Tesla lost the title of world’s largest EV producer to Chinese powerhouse BYD. In 2024, Tesla made 1,774,442 electric

Tesla rivals BYD, Nio Li Auto, XPeng and Zeekr all reported record December China EV sales as the price war intensified.

Chinese electric-vehicle growth continued in December, with BYD set to take the crown of largest seller from Tesla for the second time. Growth alone, however, wasn’t enough to give all the Chinese EV stocks a boost.

Tesla, the longtime top EV maker in the world, is now No.2. Chinese automaker BYD produced roughly 4,500 more EVs than Tesla did in 2024. Tesla still had the slight edge in annual EV sales, delivering 1.

BYD, China’s largest EV maker, delivered 207,734 all-electric vehicles in December, up about 9% year over year. Tesla delivered just under 496,000 EVs in the fourth quarter. Tesla sold 1.79 million, down about 1%.

Leading Chinese electric car maker BYD's vehicle sales surged in 2024, the company said in a statement, as the firm grows its overseas presence.

Tesla's China sales grew 8.8 percent in 2024 to over 6,57,000 units, accounting for 36.7 percent of its deliveries, despite global sales declining by 1.1 percent. BYD delivered 1.76 million EVs globally and expanded exports but missed its target.

Tesla rivals BYD, Nio Li Auto, XPeng and Zeekr all reported record December China EV sales as the price war intensified.

It comes as Tesla is due to announce its own quarterly sales figures later on Thursday. The US electric car maker maintained a slim lead in EV sales over BYD in the previous quarter but the Shenzhen-based firm has been narrowing the gap.