BYD cars grow in popularity as Singapore consumers shed perception of 'made-in-China' as second-best
In 2020, BYD sold three cars in Singapore. Last year, it sold 6,191.
BYD's Seal 06 DM-i vehicle is displayed at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, or Auto China 2024, in Beijing, China on Apr 25, 2024. (Photo: REUTERS/Tingshu Wang)
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Justin Ong Guang-Xi
16 May 2025 06:02AM (Updated: 16 May 2025 11:48AM)
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SINGAPORE: Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD has overtaken Toyota as the top-selling car in Singapore — and it’s due to a combination of attractive pricing and increasingly positive brand sentiments towards Chinese technology, said drivers and analysts alike.
Data by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) showed that BYD sold 3,002 cars, or 20 per cent of total vehicle sales in Singapore in the first four months this year.
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It dethroned Toyota as the most popular car - the Japanese manufacturer sold 2,050 cars in the same period - and far outsold its
main EV competitor Tesla, which sold 535 cars.
In 2024, Toyota sold 7,876 cars here, more than BYD’s 6,191.
But it was only in 2020 that BYD sold just three cars in Singapore, according to LTA data. This figure rose to 89 in 2021, 786 in 2022 and 1,416 in 2023.
In contrast, Toyota sales have remained relatively stable - with 7,704 in 2020, 9,633 in 2021, 6,405 in 2022 and 7,248 in 2023.
Tesla’s sales have also increased over the years, but not as quickly as BYD cars. Elon Musk’s firm sold 20 cars in 2020, 924 in 2021, 875 in 2022, 941 in 2023 and 2,384 in 2024.