The Extraordinary Rise Of Chinese Car Brand Byd

The extraordinary sales volumes being pumped out by China's best-selling car brand means BYD has a shot at beating Ford in terms of annual shipments this year, a milestone that would cement its position as a top 10 car maker globally.

BYD kicked off the December quarter by selling a record half a million vehicles in October. That impressive number puts it nearly on par with Ford year-to-date and almost all analysts covering BYD expect the momentum to continue. The US automaker, which only reports global sales on a quarterly basis, has been averaging around 1.1 million vehicles a quarter for the past three such periods.

"Getting to four million is a stunning milestone," motoring industry consultant Michael Dunne said, referring to BYD's reported annual target. "BYD will soon be seeing Ford in the rear-view mirror."

Surpassing one of Detroit's big three car makers will be possible if BYD keeps up its strong run. Demand in China is in part being stoked by government subsidies encouraging people to trade in their older EVs or combustion engine cars, while BYD's strong line up of hybrids is good for consumers who aren't quite ready to make the switch to a fully electric vehicle.

Dunne, a former General Motors executive, described BYD's sales ramp up as "velocity without precedent".