Donald Trump has given BYD the edge over Tesla
The Chinese carmaker’s absence from the US, once seen as a weakness, has turned into an asset
DONALD Trump’s latest wave of tariffs seemed like a win for Tesla. Heightened protectionism promised a well-timed shield for the US electric vehicle (EV) maker just as Chinese rivals – especially BYD – were rapidly gaining ground.
But instead of containing the competition, Trump may have handed BYD the very edge it needs to overtake Tesla.
While Elon Musk was sparring in US political circles, halfway across the world in Shenzhen, BYD was quietly tallying up its global EV sales. In the first quarter of this year, it outsold Tesla in pure battery EVs for the second straight quarter, selling more than 416,000 to Tesla’s 336,681.
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