BYD: owner, models, markets and what the name means
Facts checked United States status as of 4 September 2026
- Private
- SEHK 1211
- SZSE 002594
Listing: Hong Kong (SEHK 1211) since 2002 and Shenzhen (SZSE 002594)
BYD is the mass-market marque of BYD Company, the Shenzhen battery maker that entered the car business in January 2003 by buying Xi'an Qinchuan Automobile for its manufacturing licence. Its first own-designed car, the F3 saloon, went into production on 16 April 2005 and sold more than 63,000 units in its first year. The company built combustion cars for a decade before turning to plug-in hybrids and battery-electric cars; in March 2022 it stopped making cars with only a petrol engine.
The range is split into two naming series that confuse newcomers. Dynasty cars, launched in August 2013 with the Qin, are named after Chinese dynasties — Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Seal in some markets. Ocean cars, from 2021, are named after sea creatures: Dolphin, Seal, Seagull, Sealion. Export names often differ from the Chinese ones, so the Yuan Plus is the Atto 3 abroad and the Sea Lion 07 is the Sealion 7.
BYD sold 4,602,436 new-energy vehicles in 2025 and about 1.05 million of those were exported, a figure that grew again through 2026 while sales in China fell. It builds cars outside China at Rayong in Thailand, opened in July 2024, with further plants in Brazil, Indonesia, Hungary, Turkey and Uzbekistan announced or under way.
It does not sell passenger cars in the United States and has said it does not intend to.
Key facts
| Chinese name | 比亚迪 “BEE-yah-DEE” no literal meaning; the three characters were chosen as a distinctive registrable name and the Latin letters are their pinyin initials |
|---|---|
| Also written | BYD Auto and Build Your Dreams |
| Owner | BYD |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Shenzhen, China |
| Origin | China |
| First car | BYD F3, 2005 |
| Vehicles | Cars and commercial vehicles |
| Segment | Mass market |
| United States | Not sold in the United States — No BYD passenger car is sold to retail buyers in the United States and BYD has said it is not planning to enter, citing trade barriers. BYD does operate in the US: its bus and truck plant in Lancaster, California has been running since 2013 and now trades as RIDE. |
| Official site | www.byd.com/ |
| 2025 sales | 4,602,436 new-energy vehicles, up 7.73% |
| 2025 exports | About 1,049,600 passenger cars and pickups, up 145% |
| First own car | BYD F3, into production 16 April 2005; more than 63,000 sold in its first year |
| Model naming | Dynasty series from August 2013 (dynasty names); Ocean series from 2021 (sea-creature names) |
| Overseas car plants | Rayong, Thailand from 4 July 2024 (150,000 units a year); further plants announced in Brazil, Indonesia, Hungary, Turkey and Uzbekistan |
| Markets listed here | A sourced subset. BYD vehicles were reported as sold in more than 70 countries as of 2023 and the total has grown since. |
Who owns BYD?
Lü Xiangyang holds a stake in BYD since February 1995.
Wang Chuanfu's cousin, BYD's co-founder and early financial backer; he has held BYD shares through Guangzhou Rongjie Investment. The current percentage was not verified.
The full ownership page for BYD · Is BYD Chinese?
BYD models
| Model | Name in China | Body | Powertrain | Range | Price in China |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 元UPAtto 2 | Yuan Up 元UP | SUV | Offered with more than one powertrain | 430 km WLTP | CNY 74,800 as of |
| 元PLUSAtto 3 | Yuan Plus 元PLUS | SUV | Battery-electric | 508 km WLTP | CNY 119,900 as of |
| 海豚Dolphin | Dolphin 海豚 | Hatchback | Battery-electric | 427 km WLTP | CNY 99,800 as of |
| 比亚迪e7e7 | BYD e7 | Saloon | Battery-electric | 450 km CLTC | CNY 103,800 as of |
| 汉Han | Han 汉 | Saloon | Offered with more than one powertrain | 506 km CLTC | CNY 165,800 as of |
| 秦LQin L | Qin L 秦L | Saloon | Offered with more than one powertrain | 80 km CLTC | CNY 99,800 as of |
| 海鸥Seagull | Seagull 海鸥 | Hatchback | Battery-electric | 322 km WLTP | CNY 69,900 as of |
| 海豹Seal | Seal 海豹 | Saloon | Battery-electric | 570 km WLTP | not published |
| 宋PLUS EVSeal U | Song Plus EV 宋PLUS EV | SUV | Battery-electric | 500 km WLTP | not published |
| 宋ProSealion 5 | Song Pro DM-i 宋Pro DM-i | SUV | Plug-in hybrid | 61 km WLTP | CNY 112,800 as of |
| 宋PLUS DM-iSealion 6 | Song Plus DM-i 宋PLUS DM-i | SUV | Plug-in hybrid | 80 km WLTP | not published |
| 海狮07 EVSealion 7 | Sea Lion 07 EV 海狮07 EV | SUV | Battery-electric | 482 km WLTP | not published |
| Shark 6 | not on sale | Pickup | Plug-in hybrid | 100 km NEDC | not published |
| 宋ProSong Pro | Song Pro 宋Pro | SUV | Plug-in hybrid | 75 km CLTC | CNY 112,800 as of |
| 唐Tang | Tang 唐 | SUV | Offered with more than one powertrain | 530 km WLTP | CNY 229,800 as of |
| 夏Xia | Xia 夏 | MPV | Plug-in hybrid | 100 km CLTC | CNY 249,800 as of |
Where BYD is sold
Recorded in 26 market s: CN, HK, Japan, South Korea, SG, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, BD, Pakistan, UZ, Australia, Norway, Sweden, DK, Netherlands, Germany, France, BE, AT, United Kingdom, PL, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil. Where a company publishes only its principal markets, that is a floor and not a complete list.
| Country | Code | Market page |
|---|---|---|
| China | CN | no page yet |
| Hong Kong SAR China | HK | no page yet |
| Japan | JP | Chinese cars in Japan |
| South Korea | KR | Chinese cars in South Korea |
| Singapore | SG | no page yet |
| Thailand | TH | Chinese cars in Thailand |
| Malaysia | MY | Chinese cars in Malaysia |
| Indonesia | ID | Chinese cars in Indonesia |
| Philippines | PH | Chinese cars in the Philippines |
| Bangladesh | BD | no page yet |
| Pakistan | PK | Chinese cars in Pakistan |
| Uzbekistan | UZ | no page yet |
| Australia | AU | Chinese cars in Australia |
| Norway | NO | Chinese cars in Norway |
| Sweden | SE | Chinese cars in Sweden |
| Denmark | DK | no page yet |
| Netherlands | NL | Chinese cars in the Netherlands |
| Germany | DE | Chinese cars in Germany |
| France | FR | Chinese cars in France |
| Belgium | BE | no page yet |
| Austria | AT | no page yet |
| United Kingdom | GB | Chinese cars in the United Kingdom |
| Poland | PL | no page yet |
| South Africa | ZA | Chinese cars in South Africa |
| Mexico | MX | Chinese cars in Mexico |
| Brazil | BR | Chinese cars in Brazil |
BYD: questions people ask
- Is BYD Chinese?
- Yes. BYD Company was founded in Shenzhen, Guangdong in February 1995 and the cars are designed and mostly built in China. It has no foreign parent.
- What does BYD stand for?
- The letters are the pinyin initials of the Chinese name 比亚迪 (Bǐyàdí), which has no literal meaning. 'Build Your Dreams' was attached to the letters later for English-speaking markets, around BYD's 2008 Detroit auto show appearance.
- Who owns BYD?
- It is a public company listed in Hong Kong (SEHK 1211) and Shenzhen (SZSE 002594). Founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu is the largest shareholder. Berkshire Hathaway held about 10% from 2008 but had sold out entirely by 2025.
- Can I buy a BYD in the United States?
- No. BYD sells no passenger cars to American buyers. Its US operation builds electric buses and trucks in Lancaster, California under the RIDE name.
- Why do BYD cars have different names in different countries?
- The Chinese line-up uses dynasty and sea-creature names that do not travel well. The Yuan Plus is sold abroad as the Atto 3, the Sea Lion 07 as the Sealion 7, and so on. The car underneath is the same.
Related
Sources for BYD
- CnEVPost, BYD's 2025 net profit drops 19% as domestic price war bites. Read . 2025 sales and financial results
- Internet Info Agency, BYD Reports Slight Revenue Growth but Falling Profits in 2025. Read . 2025 overseas passenger-car and pickup sales
- Wikipedia, BYD Auto. Read . Qinchuan purchase, the F3, the Dynasty and Ocean series, overseas plants and market list
- Legal Planet (UC Berkeley / UCLA law schools), A Tour of BYD's Factory in Lancaster, California. Read . US status: buses and trucks yes, consumer cars no