BYD Takes the Lead in Global Electric Vehicle Sales, Surpassing Tesla in Quarterly Deliveries

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Tesla’s fourth-quarter car deliveries exceeded expectations, but its global electric vehicle sales fell behind those of BYD. In the past quarter, Tesla delivered 484,507 vehicles, slightly above the analysts’ average estimate of 483,173. BYD sold a total of 526,409 pure electric vehicles during the same period, claiming the top spot in global sales. This success is largely due to BYD’s broader product line and more affordable pricing in China. While Tesla exceeded its annual target of 1.8 million vehicle deliveries, it fell short of CEO Elon Musk’s higher estimate made a year ago. Musk had told analysts that Tesla had the potential to produce 2 million cars annually, but a series of price cuts failed to generate sufficient market demand to absorb such high output.