Could BYD’s best days be behind it?

[SINGAPORE] BYD ended 2025 right where it started, in the top spot on the sales charts here. There is much to unpack beneath that simple stat, however.

All through last year, it looked unstoppable, reporting higher month-on-month sales without fail. It eventually snagged 21.3 per cent of the market and grew its volume 80 per cent. In Singapore, it became the first brand to sell more than 10,000 cars in a year since the 2020s began.

Remarkably, only five car companies control two-thirds of the Singapore market, and belonging to the BYD fold has been rewarding for its five retailers; such is the brand’s volume that being one of its sub-dealers can mean outselling the distributors of established names such as Audi, Hyundai or Volvo.