EV Manufacturer BYD Just Hit a Significant Milestone

There was a point, more than a decade ago, when Tesla’s Elon Musk voiced his skepticism of BYD, the Chinese EV manufacturer who’s been establishing a (mostly) global presence as of late. BYD’s electric vehicles have been garnering solid reviews, and it sure sounds like car and truck buyers are paying attention. As Autoblog’s Joseph Pudlewski reports, BYD recently completed its 10 millionth plug-in vehicle.

That’s more than any other automaker has produced anywhere in the world, including Tesla. (Though, to be fair, BYD’s plug-in vehicles include both EVs and hybrids; the latter category is something Tesla has historically avoided, sometimes to its frustration.

What’s also notable about BYD reaching the 10 million mark is the rate at which they achieved it. Pudlewski writes that BYD reached the five million plug-in mark after 15 years. It took the company only 15 months to build the next five million. It’s part of an overall boom in EV manufacturing that’s also led to an increase in the number of cargo ships based in China.

As for what BYD’s next steps might look like — well, that’s less clear. Tariffs in the United States and Canada could prevent BYD from making a formal entry into either market.

Are Tariffs Changing BYD’s North American Plans?

The automaker has expanded around the world in recent years

What got BYD to this point? According to the company’s chairman and president, Wang Chuanfu, the answer is simple: quality engineering. “The soul of BYD’s engineers is the soul of our company,” he said in a statement. Making vehicles can differ significantly from nation to nation, but some things remain constant.