Latest news with #SealU
Auto Express
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Tesla overtaken by China's BYD in the UK car sales charts
Chinese giant BYD has done what many a few years ago would have deemed impossible by overtaking Tesla in UK new-car sales last month, signalling the 'Build Your Dreams' brand is here to stay. In May, just over 3,000 new BYD models were registered in the UK – five times more than the same period in 2023. So far this year, the brand's top seller has been the Seal U hybrid SUV, which sits above the Atto 3, Seal and Dolphin EVs in the brand's model range. Advertisement - Article continues below On the other hand, only a little more than 2,000 new Teslas hit the road last month, meaning it's a third down compared with its main rival. Although BYD is still lagging behind Tesla for overall UK sales in 2025, it's not by that much; the Chinese maker has registered 14,807 models here since the beginning of this year, compared with Tesla's 15,002. In a statement, Elon Musk's EV brand was also keen to point out that while it is 33 per cent behind year-on-year in terms of new registrations, this is due to a switchover in production of the revised Model Y. Tesla says it's 'comfortably' been taking orders for the new car and while it does not pre-register new examples – meaning sales figures are severely down this month – it does expect a return to form in June. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Chand Chudasama, partner at Price Bailey, an accounting firm with heavy experience in the automotive sector, said: 'While the shift to electric vehicles is gaining momentum, consumer sentiment remains fragile. Increasingly the switch to electric cars is being led by cheaper Chinese brands such as BYD at the expense of premium models like Tesla." Chudasama continued, emphasising that Tesla's momentum in the UK market will rely heavily on future trade negotiations between the US and UK; while cars imported here won't necessarily be subjected to tariffs like the ones inflicted on UK cars exported to the US, Tesla may in time be forced to raise prices in Britain in order to recoup some of the financial impact caused by additional duties. Advertisement - Article continues below All of this comes after what has been described by the UK's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) as a 'return to form' for the UK car market, with just over 150,000 new cars being registered last month – one-and-a-half per cent up on the same period last year. EV registrations accounted for 22 per cent of new-car sales in May, but at 21 per cent for the year so far, the electric car market share remains far behind the 28 per cent demanded by the UK's tough ZEV Mandate rules. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: 'A return to growth for new car registrations in May is welcome, but manufacturer discounting on new products continues to underpin the market, notably for electric vehicles.' Hawes warned that such practices 'cannot be sustained indefinitely as it undermines the ability of companies to invest in new product development – investments which are integral to the decarbonisation of all road transport.' Next week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to outlay the details of the government's Spending Review. This, the SMMT is hoping, will include a halving of VAT on new EV sales, cutting VAT on public charging to match that of home electricity and lifting the so-called 'luxury car tax' threshold for electric cars – all things the organisation believes will bolster sales. Buy a car with Auto Express. Our nationwide dealer network has some fantastic cars on offer right now with new, used and leasing deals to choose from... Find a car with the experts BYD's plug-in hybrid onslaught to be led by 124-mile secret weapons Plug-in hybrid tech looks like playing an increasingly important role in BYD's future, but expect more EV range, faster charging and better fuel econo… BYD beats Dacia, Honda and Citroen: Chinese EV giant already outsells 'big' UK brands EV sales were up slightly last month year-on-year, but overall car sales were down as buyers tried to dodge increased road tax Best new cars coming soon: all the big new car launches due in 2025, 2026 and beyond These are the most important new cars headed our way, from brands including Audi, BMW, Dacia, Ferrari, Ford, Skoda and more Best cars & vans 8 Apr 2025 Shanghai Motor Show 2025: what all the big car brands are up to The Shanghai Auto Show is now an established part of the automotive calendar – we've got a full list of show debuts New Kia Sportage breaks cover and it's sleeker than ever New Kia Sportage breaks cover and it's sleeker than ever Full specification and details have been announced for the UK version of Kia's big-selling mid-size SUV Car Deal of the Day: Get the Range Rover look for (a lot) less with the Jaecoo 7 for £244 a month Car Deal of the Day: Get the Range Rover look for (a lot) less with the Jaecoo 7 for £244 a month Jaecoo is another Chinese brand that has recently arrived in the UK, and its 7 SUV has made a bit of a splash. It's our Deal of the Day for 3 June. Car Deal of the Day: The Citroen C5 Aircross is a big car for a very small £208 a month Car Deal of the Day: The Citroen C5 Aircross is a big car for a very small £208 a month Its replacement may be waiting in the wings, but the current Citroen C5 Aircross is still a fine car. It's our Deal of the Day for 2 June.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BYD, Chery and MG propel Chinese sales to 79% growth in Europe in April
Sales of Chinese brands in Europe continued to grow at a torrid place in April, up by 79 percent to more than 50,000. In a total market that was flat at 1,085,000 sales, Chinese automakers' market share grew to 4.6 percent from 2.6 percent in the same period in 2024, preliminary figures from market researcher Dataforce show. BYD had the biggest volume growth among Chinese automakers, adding almost 10,000 sales compared with April 2024 for a total volume of 12,558. BYD's growth was boosted by the Seal U midsize SUV that added almost 6,000 units in the month — most of which were the new plug-in hybrid variant. Chery had the biggest percentage growth, up 1,149 percent with sales of 5,773 in the month. The automaker's growth was boosted by its Jaecoo and Omoda upscale brands, which were launched in Europe last year. Chery started from a low base of 462 sales in April 2024. Sign up for the Automotive News Europe By The Numbers monthly newsletter delivering data and commentary on European sales. Sales at MG Motor, which is owned by SAIC, grew by 25 percent to 21,735, led by the MG 3 small car, which added more than 4,400 sales in April compared with last year, for a total of more than 4,900 for the month. Despite stronger growth rates from its rivals, MG remained comfortably the top Chinese brand in Europe for the month, as well as for the first four months, with sales of 99,627, ahead of BYD at 41,409 and Chery at 21,571. This embedded content is not available in your region. Extra tariffs imposed by the EU since November on electric cars imported from China continue to move Chinese OEMs mix away from BEVs. Overall, in April, sales of Chinese cars rose by 79 percent to 50,173 with: Electric vehicle sales up 41 percent to 16,458 Plug-in hybrid sales up by 534 percent to 9,472 Full hybrid sales up by 3,946 percent to 8,619 Gasoline sales up by 11 percent to 13,786 Sales at Geely Group, which in addition to its namesake brand includes Lotus, Lynk & CO, Polestar and Zeekr — but not Volvo — grew by 31 percent to 4,043, making it the fourth-largest Chinese automaker in Europe. Xpeng, with sales up 270 percent to 1,665 in April, narrowed the gap to fifth-place DR Motor. Sales at DR, an Italian company that distributes mainly in Italy vehicles built in China by various automakers, fell by 15 percent to 2,096. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
NZ Autocar
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
BYD says its new PHEVs will outperform range extenders
BYD is priming a range of new plug-in hybrids with around 200km of electric-only range. They will also be capable of rapid charging at speeds of more than 150kW. And they're coming within the next 12 to 24 months, badged as DM-i variants. Long range PHEVs are becoming the next big thing in China which seems committed to exporting its popular sellers. To date, not many PHEVs can exceed even 100km of EV range. In the UK, for example, the most range offered by any PHEV is Volkswagen's Golf eHybrid. That manages 141km while the best from BYD is 123km. And that is offered by the Seal U (Sealion 6 here) which can be charged at only 18kW. BYD's executive vice-president, Stella Li, says: 'Our target is really to have people in daily use using the EV [mode], but then if they want long distance, given a chance to charge, they have the freedom to go to anything.' The current DM-i system combines BYD's Blade Battery technology with a petrol engine designed specifically for PHEV use. BYD says it offers particularly high levels of thermal efficiency. The firm also reckons 'PHEV has become the new battleground' for manufacturers. That's 'because everybody is shooting for a revision of the so-called green deal that will open up markets beyond 2035'. And the company states: 'we truly don't see anybody having technology close to the DM-i'. A spokesperson said: 'If you have just 35-45km of range as an EV, you're fundamentally an internal combustion engine with a plug,' he said. 'That's the reason why a lot of manufacturers are now trying to come closer to our plug-in hybrid technology with the range-extender.' Others looking to profit from improved PHEV performance include Ford, Leapmotor, Lotus and Volkswagen. But range-extender (REx) cars are increasingly popular in China. They feature an on-board energy generator in the form of a small petrol combustion engine. Read the NZ Autocar review of BYD's Sealion 6 Premium. Leapmotor's overseas head recently said that REx cars are a 'good interim solution' for Europe and better than PHEVs. That's because the propulsion is always handled by an electric motor. And that means that 'the engine is always operating in the most efficient way'. However, BYD counters, saying that PHEVs are 'definitely superior' than REx cars. That's because 'you can have three different ways of using the car; it's your decision, depending on how much power you need from the engine, [whereas] the REx is always behaving in one way'.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BYD changes Europe strategy; will build PHEVs alongside EVs at new plants
TURIN, Italy — BYD plans to build plug-in hybrid electric vehicles alongside battery-electric vehicles at the two plants it's constructing for Europe, marking a strategy shift for the fast-growing Chinese automaker, which is already benefiting from growing PHEV demand in the region. BYD, which is spending a combined €5 billion to construct factories in Szeged, Hungary, and near Izmir, Turkey, told Automotive News Europe in March 2024 that it would only manufacture BEVs in Europe. At the time, demand for full-electric cars was growing rapidly in Europe. BEV sales had risen nearly 20 percent for the year after growing 28 percent in 2023. Fast forward to last October, and BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li said the automaker would also produce PHEVs in Europe, giving its powertrain lineup more depth. At the time, BEV sales in Europe were down 2.5 percent through nine months. In addition, BYD was gaining traction with its newly launched Seal U PHEV, which has become Europe's No. 4 seller overall among PHEVs. The Seal U was also Europe's bestselling PHEV in March. In February, BYD told nearly 400 component suppliers at a meeting in Turin that the automaker was weighing whether to make Hungary a BEV-only plant and use Turkey for PHEVs, according to two people who were at the meeting. When contacted by Automotive News Europe, BYD said its current plan is to build BEVs and PHEVs at both plants. In the first quarter, European sales of BEVs were up 28 percent and sales of PHEVs were up 5.3 percent, according to market researcher Dataforce. Sign up for the Automotive News Europe Focus on Electrification newsletter, a weekly wrap-up of the latest electric vehicle news, including interviews and global EV sales data. BYD's Hungary plant, with an initial annual capacity of 150,000 and the ability to double that if needed, is expected to start operations in October. Media reports say BYD will invest €4 billion in total in the factory. BYD already makes electric buses in Komarom, Hungary. The Turkey factory, which will have annual capacity for 150,000 vehicles and cost an estimated €1 billion, is expected to start production in March 2026. BYD also plans to open an R&D center near the factory. In a December interview with the German magazine Capital, Li said the first two models built in Hungary will be the Dolphin small car and Atto 3 compact crossover. Those could be followed by the Atto 2 small SUV and the Seagull minicar, which will be called Dolphin Surf for Europe, she told the magazine. When asked to confirm the report, BYD declined to identify which vehicles will be made at the factories and in what cadence. The revised European strategy is part of the company's broader plan to expand its PHEV portfolio in the region, where volume automakers including BYD, Volkswagen brand and Toyota have benefited from a surge in demand for the powertrain. Volume automakers increased their PHEV sales in Europe 46 percent in the first quarter, according to Dataforce. At the European launch of the full-electric Atto 2 in February, BYD said that within six months of launching a BEV, it would add a PHEV variant to the model family. By mid-April, that timetable was shortened to three to four months — and could be shortened to roughly two months, according to sources familiar with BYD's plans. Li said at a March roundtable with Eastern European media posted on YouTube that each BYD model offered in Europe would have a PHEV variant by mid-2026. BYD quadrupled its European sales to 28,842 vehicles from 7,701 in the first quarter. The Seal U accounted for 10,962 sales, which means that 38 percent of BYD's overall volume came from PHEVs in the period, up from 0 percent in the first quarter of 2024, Dataforce figures show. Despite its growth overseas, BYD remains heavily reliant on China. While overall sales rose 41 percent to 4.27 million vehicles last year, making BYD the world's third-largest automaker after Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen Group, just 417,000 of that volume was sold outside of China. In 2025, BYD aims to sell 5.5 million vehicles globally, according to Chinese media reports. This includes doubling overseas sales to 800,000. BYD's 2026 goal is 6.5 million global sales, according to the reports.
The Star
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Chinese brands lead Israel's imported car sales in early 2025
JERUSALEM, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese automakers accounted for the largest share of Israel's imported passenger car sales in the first four months of 2025, selling 30,478 electric and gasoline vehicles, data from the Israel Vehicle Importers Association showed on Sunday. South Korea and Japan ranked as Israel's second- and third-largest suppliers of imported cars during the period, the association said, without disclosing specific figures for those markets. BYD Auto led electric vehicle (EV) sales in Israel, delivering 3,215 units between January and April, driven by its subcompact crossover Atto 3 and the mid-size Seal U SUV. Rival Chinese automaker Xpeng Motor secured the second spot with 2,705 EVs sold across three models. MG Motor, a Chinese-owned British brand, placed third with 1,693 EVs sold. Chinese automakers dominated Israel's EV market during the four-month span, capturing more than 80 percent of total electric car sales with 16,034 units delivered. Gasoline-powered vehicles from Chinese brands accounted for the remainder of the 30,478 total sales.
