Chinese automaker BYD has set itself the goal of becoming the world’s largest car brand within five years.

At the company’s annual general meeting recently, BYD chairman and president, Wang Chuanfu, declared the brand’s intention as part of its continuing growth plans, CarNewsChina reports.

Based on 2025 production numbers, BYD currently sits in seventh place – the highest of any Chinese car company, with 4.6 million units sold, up from 4.27 in 2024. Ahead of it sit Ford (4.65m), Stellantis (5.6m), General Motors (6.18m), Hyundai Motor Group (7.27m), Volkswagen Group 8.98m), and Toyota tops the list with 11.32 million vehicles.

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The ambitious five-year growth plan would mean BYD would need to more than double its capacity to surpass the likes of Toyota and Volkswagen outright, although the calculation more than likely includes conquest sales from other brands ahead of it on the list.

The growth wouldn’t be entirely unprecedented, with BYD having increased global sales by over 144 per cent since 2022, from a reported 1.88 million in 2022, its first year on the top 10 list, up to 4.6 million for 2025.

For now, BYD is the only Chinese automaker inside the top 10, with Chinese rivals Geely and Changan ranked in 11th and 12th place in 2025.

According to Wang Chuanfu, BYD’s overseas sales target of 1.6 million units sold outside of China in 2026 is set to be surpassed. BYD’s overseas strategy includes products specifically targeted at key international markets, including a small plug-in hybrid hatch for Europe, and soon a kei-class car developed for sale in Japan. 

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As Chinese automakers look to counter slowing domestic sales, BYD has revealed ultra-fast Flash Charging technology allowing 10-97 per cent recharging in as little as nine minutes. The company has continued work on advanced self-driving technologies and promised a new wave of “stunning” assisted driving technologies next year.

As with other Chinese brands, BYD has also begun to concentrate on more premium models in the Chinese market, moving away from the low-margin, high-volume sales model that defined the market in its early days. This change also helps brand perception in overseas markets.

In Australia, BYD finished second on the sales chart for the month of May 2026, for the second time. Year-to-date sales have BYD in third position on 33,454 sales, just behind second-placed Kia on 33,841 units, but still a long way off the pace of first-placed Toyota with 76,017 sales so far, down from 100,753 for the same period in 2025.