BYD Company Limited

What does BYD own?
BYD Company Limited owns BYD Auto, the world's largest new energy vehicle manufacturer, as well as BYD Electronics, a contract electronics manufacturer serving major smartphone brands. The company also controls FinDreams Battery, a lithium iron phosphate battery supplier to third-party automakers, BYD Semiconductor, a power electronics manufacturer, and BYD's commercial vehicle divisions producing electric buses and trucks. The Denza premium vehicle brand is operated as a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz.

Is BYD publicly traded?
Yes, BYD Company Limited is listed on two stock exchanges. The company's H-shares trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under ticker 1211, and its A-shares trade on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange under ticker 002594. BYD Electronics (International) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary handling mobile handset components, is separately listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Who founded BYD?
BYD was founded by Wang Chuanfu and Lu Xiangyang on 10 February 1995 in Shenzhen, China. Wang Chuanfu, who was 29 years old at the time, had previously worked as a researcher at the Beijing Nonferrous Research Institute and identified an opportunity in rechargeable battery manufacturing as Japanese companies shifted to higher-value battery chemistries. Wang continues to serve as chairman and president of BYD as of 2026.

Where is BYD headquartered?
BYD is headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. The company's main campus is located in the Pingshan District of Shenzhen, which houses its primary vehicle manufacturing, battery production, and research and development operations. BYD also operates manufacturing facilities across multiple Chinese provinces as well as in Thailand, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Hungary, Turkey, and Indonesia.

How many brands does BYD own?
BYD operates approximately six automotive brands: the core BYD brand for mass-market vehicles, Denza for the premium segment (as a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz), Yangwang for ultra-luxury electric vehicles, and Fangchengbao for rugged off-road electric vehicles. The company also operates BYD Electric Bus and BYD Trucks as distinct commercial vehicle brands. Within the BYD passenger car lineup, there are numerous model sub-brands including Han, Tang, Song, Seal, and Atto.

Who owns BYD?
BYD Company Limited is a publicly listed company with no single controlling shareholder holding a majority stake. Wang Chuanfu, the founder and chairman, holds a significant personal stake in the company. Berkshire Hathaway, which had held approximately 6.9% of BYD as of June 2024, fully divested its position by September 2025 after a 17-year investment that generated a return of approximately 3,890%. The remaining shares are held by institutional investors and public shareholders.

What is BYD's revenue?
BYD reported total revenues of approximately 777 billion yuan in FY2024, with the automotive segment contributing approximately 617 billion yuan, or 79% of the total. In the second quarter of 2025, BYD's net profit fell 29.9% year-over-year to 6.4 billion yuan, reflecting domestic pricing pressure in the Chinese NEV market. The company's annual revenue has grown substantially from approximately 216 billion yuan in FY2020, reflecting the rapid expansion of its automotive business.

Has BYD faced regulatory action in international markets?
Yes. In October 2024, the European Commission imposed additional tariffs on BYD vehicles imported from China following an anti-subsidy investigation, with BYD receiving a tariff rate of approximately 17.4% on top of the existing 10% import duty. In the United States, BYD's electric bus subsidiary has faced restrictions on the use of federal transit funding following the company's designation as a company of concern by the US Department of Defense. BYD has contested these designations and continues to operate a manufacturing facility in Lancaster, California.

Wang Chuanfu founded BYD on 10 February 1995 in Buji Town, Longgang District, Shenzhen, with an initial capital of 2.5 million yuan and a team of approximately 20 people. Wang, then 29 years old, had previously worked as a vice supervisor at the Beijing Nonferrous Research Institute, where he observed Japanese battery manufacturers shifting from nickel-cadmium to higher-value nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries. He identified a cost arbitrage opportunity and moved to Shenzhen with his cousin Lu Xiangyang to establish BYD as a rechargeable battery manufacturer.

BYD's early competitive advantage was a redesigned manufacturing approach that substituted manual labour for the capital-intensive automated processes used by Japanese competitors. This reduced unit costs by approximately five to six times compared to Japanese rivals. By 1996, BYD had secured an order from Sanyo, marking its entry into the global battery supply chain. By 1997, amid the Asian financial crisis, Philips, Panasonic, and Motorola had all become major clients.

BYD expanded internationally early, opening a branch in the Netherlands in 1998 and establishing BYD America Corporation in 1999. By July 2002, BYD had become the world's leading nickel-cadmium battery manufacturer, surpassing Sanyo and accounting for approximately 65% of global production. In September 2002, BYD completed an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Shortly after its Hong Kong IPO, BYD made a pivotal strategic move: in January 2003, the company acquired Xi'an Qinchuan Automobile, a small state-owned vehicle manufacturer, from defense conglomerate Norinco. The acquisition was controversial with shareholders, as it had not been disclosed in the IPO prospectus, but Wang Chuanfu's intention was to develop battery-powered electric vehicles using BYD's existing battery expertise.

BYD's first cars were conventional petrol vehicles. The BYD F3, a compact sedan, began production in April 2005 and gained market share through competitive pricing. The company produced its first plug-in hybrid vehicle, the BYD F3 DM, in 2008, and its first battery electric vehicle, the BYD e6, in 2009.

In September 2008, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, invested approximately 230 million US dollars for a 9.89% stake in BYD at HK$8 per share. Warren Buffett credited the investment to Charlie Munger, Berkshire's vice chairman. The investment proved highly profitable: Berkshire began gradually reducing its stake in 2022 as BYD's share price had risen substantially, and by September 2025, Berkshire had completely exited its position, generating a return of approximately 3,890%.

In June 2011, BYD listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, raising approximately 1.42 billion yuan in a secondary offering. Between 2017 and 2019, BYD experienced a sharp decline in net profit, falling to just 1.6 billion yuan in 2019 as automotive sales stagnated. Wang Chuanfu described 2019 as the company's "darkest moment," yet the company continued investing 8.4 billion yuan in research and development that year.

The turnaround came in 2020. BYD introduced the Blade battery, a lithium iron phosphate cell with a distinctive structural design that improved safety and energy density. The Blade battery was first used in the BYD Han, a premium electric sedan, and was subsequently adopted across BYD's vehicle lineup. In the same year, BYD spun off four automotive component manufacturers under the FinDreams brand, with the intention of supplying parts to third-party automakers.

From 2020, BYD's vehicle sales grew dramatically, driven by the rapid expansion of the Chinese NEV market and the company's expanding export program. In March 2022, BYD ended production of purely internal combustion engine vehicles, becoming the first major global automaker to do so. In 2023, BYD introduced two new premium automotive brands, Yangwang and Fangchengbao, targeting the high-end and off-road segments respectively.

In November 2024, BYD commemorated its 30th anniversary and the production of its 10 millionth new energy vehicle. In the second quarter of 2025, BYD's quarterly net profit fell 29.9% year-over-year to 6.4 billion yuan, as vehicle sales in its home market slowed amid the Chinese government's campaign against automotive price wars. Despite the domestic slowdown, BYD continued to expand internationally, dominating new car sales in Singapore with over 20% market share in 2025.