China’s BYD Close To Overtaking Ford In European Sales

Data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) shows that BYD is seriously threatening Ford’s position on the Old Continent.

According to Motor1, BYD (“Build Your Dreams”) car registrations rose 144.1 percent in the first eight months of this year, reaching a record 234,099 vehicles. At the same time, the “Blue Oval” continues to decline, recording a decrease of 14.4 percent, or a total of 244,938 Ford vehicles sold through August.

BYD trails Ford by just 10,839 vehicles, so if this trend continues, we wouldn’t be surprised if the two companies swap places on the list of best-selling brands before the end of the year.

BYD’s market share in Europe now stands at 2.5 percent, up from 1.1 percent in the January-August period last year.

Ford has been reducing its traditional European lineup in recent years. The Ka, Fiesta, Focus, and Mondeo models have been discontinued, leaving the Blue Oval with fewer mass-market models. CEO Jim Farley once said that the cars were “a favorite among many customers” but that they were not generating enough profit to justify new investments. However, Ford has a plan to fight back by working with Renault on a series of electric vehicles. The French company will produce the cars, which could include a revived Fiesta (based on the Renault 5) and a small crossover related to the Renault 4. It won’t just be about rebadged models, as Ford has pledged to give them its own design and make some technical changes under the hood.

However, BYD is not the only Chinese carmaker closing in on Ford in Europe. SAIC, owner of the MG brand, is not far behind with 230,290 registrations in the year to August, up 19.7 percent from the first eight months of last year.

Geely has already overtaken Ford with 289,128 registrations, recording a year-on-year growth of 11.6 percent. However, this is not a completely direct comparison, as the figures include all Geely Group brands, such as Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and others.

Another Chinese conglomerate is growing rapidly in Europe. Chery, which includes the Jaecoo, Jetour and Omoda brands, grew by 279.7 percent in the year to August, reaching 207,871 registrations. When all is said and done, Geely, BYD, SAIC, and Chery, now together, account for 10.4 percent of the market in Europe. That’s right: one in ten cars registered in Europe now has a Chinese connection. It should be noted that by Europe, ACEA means all 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. While this does not cover the entire continent, these figures do reflect the broader trend as they take into account all major markets.

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