Chinese auto giant BYD has reached a significant milestone with the production of its 10 millionth new energy vehicle (NEV). This category includes electric vehicles and hybrids. This is a remarkable achievement for a company that started in 1995 as a small battery manufacturer and in less than 30 years has become a global leader in the electric vehicle market.
The anniversary car was the Denza Z9 sedan, officially presented at the Guangzhou Motor Show in 2024. The car was handed over to Feng Ji, CEO of Game Science, the company that created the popular video game Black Myth: Wukong. The partnership between BYD and Game Science involves the use of BYD technology for the digital preservation of cultural artifacts.
The Denza Z9 is available in both plug-in hybrid and all-electric versions. The starting price of the car is approximately €41700. It is equipped with BYD e3 — is a simplified version of their e⁴ remi platform built on the Xuanji architecture. The vehicle has three motor systems of independent drive and a dual-motor rear-wheel steering system, which provides high performance and controllability. The first deliveries are expected in early December.
BYD’s history began in 1995 with a team of just 20 employees. Today, the company employs more than 900 thousand people, of whom 110 thousand are engaged in research and development. In 2003, BYD entered the automotive industry by acquiring Qinchuan. After initial failures with the 316 model, the company achieved success with the F3 model in 2005, selling 100 thousand units in 14 months. This breakthrough motivated BYD to develop innovative hybrid technologies, including the launch of the first DM platform in 2008.
In 2021, BYD introduced the fourth generation of the DM platform with performance-oriented (DM-p) and economy-oriented (DM-i) variants. This year, the fifth generation of the DM platform was launched, further improving efficiency. Over the past 4 years, the company has grown from sales of less than 30 thousand vehicles per month to more than 500 thousand units per month today.
In 2021, BYD became the first Chinese automaker to produce 1 million NEVs. In 2022, the company stopped producing cars with internal combustion engines, focusing only on plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. NEV sales continue to grow, reaching 3.25 million units in the first ten months of 2024, up 36.49% year-on-year. Analysts predict that by 2026, BYD’s global deliveries will reach 6 million vehicles, a significant portion of which will be in international markets.
Source: arenaev