BYD founder Wang Chuanfu bets on new tech to win back customers as sales decelerate


BYD, China’s electric vehicle (EV) king, is pinning its hopes on next-generation technology to engineer a turnaround in sales amid fierce competition in the world’s largest automotive market, according to its founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu.

Speaking at a shareholders’ meeting in Shenzhen on Friday, the billionaire said the company’s 12,000 engineers – the backbone of the carmaker – would help it regain a technological edge over rivals.

“We have heavyweight new technology in the pipeline,” he was quoted as saying by the official China Securities Journal. “These will be announced later, as it is not convenient for me to disclose more details now.”

He listed faster charging speeds as one of the areas BYD was looking to improve.

BYD founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images
BYD founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images
Wang also tried to allay concerns among investors about BYD’s competitiveness on the mainland, where it faced a stern challenge from smaller rivals such as Xiaomi and Leapmotor.

In September, BYD, the world’s largest EV assembler in terms of deliveries, lowered its sales target for this year by 16 per cent to 4.6 million units from a previous forecast of 5.5 million, according to Reuters, which cited unidentified sources. The revised target represents a 7 per cent year-on-year increase.

  • Related Posts

    Indonesia wants India’s entire digital public infrastructure playbook – Firstpost

    Indonesia is preparing to become the latest country to integrate with India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), but digital payments are only one part of a much bigger plan. As Prime…

    Continue reading
    OPEC+ pumps more oil as Hormuz reopens. Here’s why crude prices are falling – Firstpost

    Oil prices extended their decline on Monday after OPEC+ agreed to raise production for a fifth straight month and exports through the Strait of Hormuz continued to recover, easing fears…

    Continue reading

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *