BYD's passenger EV sales drop for an eighth month as competition heats up

NANJING, CHINA - APRIL 30, 2026 - Tourists visit the BYD exhibition area at the Auto Expo in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China on April 30, 2026. (Photo credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via ) Cfoto | Future Publishing | BYD 's passenger vehicle sales fell for an eighth consecutive month in April, while its domestic rivals Leapmotor and Zeekr notched record-high monthly deliveries as the market becomes more competitive. BYD reported Sunday that it delivered 314,100 new energy passenger vehicles last month — comprising battery electric and plug-in hybrid models — a 15.7% decline from the year before but up 6.2% from March, CNBC's records show. Export figures for BYD rose to an all-time high of 135,098 , according to a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing — a record, and up more than 70% compared to the same period in 2025, according to CNBC's calculations. The split in the Shenzhen-headquartered automaker's domestic and overseas fortunes underscores its growing reliance on overseas markets amid intensifying competition at home. In April, the market-leading EV giant reported a nearly 55.4% drop in profits year over year in the first quarter as operating revenue fell 11.8% to 150 billion yuan ($22 billion) amid strong showings from its domestic rivals in the same quarter. Second-place Chinese EV maker Leapmotor posted its highest-ever number of monthly deliveries in April, with 71,387 units , up 73.9% over the same period in 2025. …