BYD Tops Tesla's Quarterly EV Sales Even as a Political Firestorm Engulfs Its Hungarian Hub
Published on 07/20/2026 at 19:32 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
BYD's all-electric vehicle deliveries surged past Tesla in the second quarter of 2026, with 557,090 battery-powered cars handed to customers versus Tesla's 480,126 units, according to data reported by The Motley Fool. The milestone underscores a steady shift in the global EV power balance, yet the Chinese giant's European ambitions now face an unexpected political probe in Hungary, where a former minister's move to the company has triggered a government investigation.
The investigation, announced Monday by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, will examine every decision linked to BYD's Hungarian investment. At the center of the storm is Péter Szijjártó, who resigned from parliament on July 15 and days later took an international leadership role at BYD covering external relations and new business ventures. Szijjártó had been instrumental in securing subsidies, tax breaks, and environmental exemptions for the carmaker while serving as foreign minister, and his rapid transition to the beneficiary of those decisions has raised conflict-of-interest questions. The premier's inquiry will span the full chain from initial negotiations to final state commitments.
Szijjártó has pushed back against the allegations, telling Szeged mayor Botka László in a phone call that his new job involves managing BYD's international relations, not overseeing investments in Hungary itself. Yet the timing remains delicate: BYD is constructing its first European passenger-vehicle plant in Szeged, with production slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company also runs facilities in Komárom and Budapest, though none are currently set to include battery manufacturing. Meanwhile, a planned €1 billion factory in Turkey has been formally shelved as BYD concentrates on EU localization.
The political distraction contrasts sharply with momentum in BYD's operations abroad. Overseas deliveries hit 175,349 vehicles in June alone, a near-95 percent surge year-on-year, bringing the first-half tally to 792,256 units, up 70.7 percent. The international push is helping offset a brutal domestic stretch: total new-energy vehicle sales in China fell 15.7 percent in the first six months of 2026 to 1,808,511 units, squeezed by a price war and reduced government subsidies.
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Within BYD's own lineup, the picture is equally split. The Fang Cheng Bao sub-brand delivered 35,607 vehicles in June, a jump of 88.4 percent from the same month last year, with the Tai 7 SUV alone accounting for 23,710 units, up 29.7 percent from May. A quick-charge variant of the Tai 7, launched in April, starts at 199,800 yuan and offers a choice of 675 or 755 kilometers of range. But the venerable Qin family, once a volume pillar, saw June sales plunge 66.17 percent to just 14,900 vehicles, and first-half volume dropped 45.62 percent to 149,174 units — a far cry from the 661,090 units sold in the whole of 2025. BYD hopes to revive the line with the new Qin Max, a midsize flagship sedan measuring 4,866 millimeters long with a 2,820-millimeter wheelbase, available as a pure EV with 240- or 120-kW motors or as a plug-in hybrid with a 1.5-liter engine and 175-kW electric motor.
At the top end of the spectrum, the Denza Z electric supercar flexes engineering brawn. With three motors producing a combined 1,164 kilowatts, it sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.25 seconds and supports ultra-fast charging at up to 1,500 kilowatts from its 76-kWh battery. Pricing in the UK starts at ÂŁ142,900 for the coupe and ÂŁ159,900 for the open-top Spider version.
BYD's global rollout continues across multiple fronts. On the Philippines, orders open July 28 for the Atto 2 and the updated Seal 5 DM-i. In Australia, registrations of interest for the Atto 3 Evo began July 20, with market entry due in the second half. Brazil's plant rolled out its 100,000th electric vehicle on July 16 — a Dolphin Mini — and now employs more than 5,500 workers. A new marketing push includes a global sponsorship deal with Paris Saint-Germain that runs through June 2029, supplying BYD and Denza vehicles to the football club for daily operations in exchange for visibility at the Parc des Princes, adding to existing tie-ups with Inter Milan and Manchester City.
BYD at a turning point? This analysis reveals what investors need to know now.
On the stock market, BYD shares have recovered notably from a 52-week low of €8.03 hit in late June. The stock closed Monday at €10.15, up 2.53 percent, and has gained 12.74 percent over the past 30 days. Still, at roughly two-thirds of the July 2025 peak of €14.80, the recovery remains incomplete as investors weigh robust operational data against fresh political uncertainty in Europe. How deeply the Szijjártó affair will affect the Szeged plant — and broader EU sentiment toward the Chinese automaker — is a question likely to dominate the coming weeks.
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