Ford Motor lost out to BYD in global vehicle sales for the first time last year as the Chinese manufacturer continued its climb up the rankings of the world’s largest automakers.
Ford’s wholesales dropped almost 2 per cent last year to just shy of 4.4 million, short of the 4.6 million vehicle sales BYD reported in January. The figure the US automaker disclosed on Tuesday (Feb 10, 2026) confirms BYD has moved up to No 6 in the global sales ranks, one spot ahead of Ford.
While Ford’s US sales rose last year, it has lost ground in Europe and particularly China, where domestic manufacturers such as BYD, Xiaomi and Geely Automobile Holdings have grabbed market share from foreign automakers with affordable, tech-laden electric vehicles (EVs).
BYD exported 1.05 million vehicles in its overseas markets in 2025 and aims to increase that to 1.3 million this year, according to the report. The Chinese company has also established overseas factories in key regions such as Brazil, Thailand, and Hungary, which supply its regional markets of South America, Southeast Asia and Europe.
BYD’s result is remarkable considering that the company only sells plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and all-electric vehicles (BEV), which are collectively classified as New Energy Vehicles (NEV) in China. BYD recently overtook Tesla as the world’s top EV seller in 2025, with 2.25 million units, 600,000 more than the U.S. EV maker. The Chinese company stopped making and selling pure internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in March 2022.
Meanwhile, in Malaysia, BYD just announced over 25,000 of their vehicles are already on our roads. And perhaps what makes this milestone even more remarkable is that it only took them three short years to achieve it, with the Chinese automaker first handling operations locally in 2022.
In fact, it is notable that this Chinese automaker is now among the 10 best-selling car brands in Malaysia. And with its current fully-electric lineup, it should come as no surprise that BYD is also the country’s most popular EV brand to date.
BYD is rapidly expanding in Malaysia with Sime Darby Motors, targeting 50 outlets by 2026 and establishing a local assembly plant in Perak by late 2026. Known for the Atto 3 and Seal, BYD showcases its Blade Battery and e-Platform 3.0, with a strong focus on affordable, high-tech EVs in the Malaysian market.
