Tesla’s deliveries worldwide between January and March hit 358,023 units, it said in a statement on Thursday. Tesla builds only pure electric cars or battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
BYD assembles both BEVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The Shenzhen-based carmaker’s BEV sales in the first quarter stood at 310,389 units.
“BYD suffered a setback in the domestic market as it is the company’s major source of growth,” said Gao Shen, an independent analyst in Shanghai. “Tesla remains relatively stable, banking on a large base of customers around the world.”
Tesla and BYD have been locked in a battle for the title of the world’s largest BEV maker since mid-2023. BYD beat Tesla for the first time in pure electric car deliveries in the fourth quarter of that year.