BYD Sales Outside of China Grew 134% to Record 189,466 Vehicles in August — But BYD Aims Much Higher for 2027

BYD, the Chinese electric vehicle maker, sold 189,466 vehicles outside China in August, up 134.5% from a year earlier and a new record for the company. That growth comes as the Chinese car market has cooled, pushing BYD to look abroad for buyers. The company now wants to sell 2.5 million vehicles outside China in 2027, a big jump from the roughly 1.74 million pace it's on for 2026.

Part of that plan involves building cars closer to where they'll be sold. BYD's plant in Hungary is expected to start assembly in November or December, and the company is looking at other overseas manufacturing sites. Building locally would let BYD avoid the European Union's roughly 27% tariff on battery electric vehicles and Brazil's 34% import tariff, savings estimated at more than $5,900 per vehicle. BYD is also growing at home, aiming to raise its share of the Chinese auto market from about 18% now to 25%.

For homeowners, this is mostly background on the broader EV market rather than news that changes anything at your house right now. If you're weighing an EV purchase alongside other home energy upgrades, like a heat pump or rooftop solar, it's a sign that Chinese-made EVs are becoming more available globally and that manufacturing is shifting toward more markets, including Europe and possibly beyond. Whether that eventually affects EV prices or availability where you live isn't something this news settles.