Tesla loses crown as world’s biggest electric vehicle maker to Chinese rival BYD
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Tesla lost the crown as the world’s best-selling electric vehicle (EV) maker on Friday as sales declined for the second year in a row amid customer revolt over Elon Musk’s right-wing politics and tough foreign competition.
Tesla said it expected to deliver 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down nine percent from a year earlier.
Chinese rival BYD, which sold 2.26 million vehicles last year, is now the world’s biggest EV maker.
In the fourth quarter, Tesla sales totaled 418,227, less than the 440,000 expected by analysts polled by FactSet. Total sales may have been impacted by the expiration of a $7,500 US tax credit that was phased out by the Trump administration in late September.
Even as the company grapples with a number of issues, the stock ended 2025 with a gain of nearly 11 percent, as investors hope Tesla CEO Musk can fulfill his ambitions of making Tesla a leader in robotaxi service and inspire consumers to adopt humanoid robots that can perform basic tasks in homes and offices.
Tesla shares rose nearly two percent before the opening bell on Friday.
