BYD is broke

Is It Time to Throw in the Towel on BYD Company?
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Key Points
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway just finished exiting its position in BYD.

BYD is expanding its product lineup into ultra-luxury segments.

BYD derives some of its competitive edge from its vertical integration.

BYD Company, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) juggernaut, quickly took over its home market before stepping out into the world. And then it started taking over global sales, too, signaling not only had it arrived as a global powerhouse but that it was here to stay.

BYD's stock has been a high flyer over the years, but arguably its most well-known investor just exited his stake in the company -- is it a red flag for investors?

BYD Sealion.
Image source: BYD.
What's going on?
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has fully exited its position in BYD, per an SEC filing, which ends a lengthy 17-year investment that boasted a staggering increase in value over that time frame.

Berkshire Hathaway began investing in the Chinese automaker way back in 2008 when it paid $230 million for roughly 225 million shares, or about 10% of the company at the time. It was a true Warren Buffett move in that he was greedy when others were fearful. Perhaps now comes the other side of the coin -- when others were greedy, he decided to exit the position. The investment was an amazing call as its shares increased by about 3,890% over the time Berkshire Hathaway owned them.

Buffett's company began selling BYD shares in 2022 after a massive run-up in share price over the years. It comes at a questionable time for the Chinese automaker as its domestic sales, which make up roughly 80% of its global shipments, dropped for the fourth straight month in August. In fact, the company even cut its annual sales target by as much as 16%, down to 4.6 million vehicles.

To be fair, investors can sell for any number of reasons. Perhaps an investor has a need for cash, or to rebalance a portfolio, harvesting tax losses (not in this case), or simply cashing in on a big winner. Despite Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway exiting its stake in the Chinese automaker, there are still plenty of positive developments for investors wishing to keep their shares.

Ultra-premium
When investors think about BYD, they likely imagine an automaker that caught Tesla in global sales by undercutting the competition with rock-bottom pricing. That's one thing the automaker is attempting to change as it has begun developing a line of ultra-premium vehicles that should help boost its brand image. In fact, the company is now offering some luxury models with price tags topping $200,000 -- essentially the opposite of its brand image that is known for mainstream volume and affordability.

Story Continues

What it all means​

Ultimately, while it's easy to think it's time to exit BYD after a massive run-up and its most well-known investor calling it quits, there's plenty of room left for long-term shareholders. BYD is a solid company expanding its brand into more lucrative vehicles, has a diversified business, and profitable growth to be had in its home market and potentially the U.S. market. BYD's share price has been soaring for years, and there's no reason to think that's about to come to a screeching halt.


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All the USD used to import products into the US ended up in US assets. But that chain is breaking up. Outside of the US, they are dumping into gold and silver.
 
I wonder if this will push byd over the edge..

BYD makes largest recall of over 115,000 cars due to design, battery issues
By Reuters
October 17, 202511:13 AM GMT+8Updated 2 hours ago
Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai
People visit the BYD booth during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai, China April 19, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
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BEIJING, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Chinese car maker BYD will make its largest recall yet of more than 115,000 Tang series and Yuan Pro vehicles produced between 2015 and 2022 due to design defects and battery-related safety risks, China's market regulator said on Friday.
BYD has filed a plan with the State Administration for Market Regulation to recall 44,535 Tang series vehicles produced between March 2015 and July 2017 in which certain component design flaws may cause abnormal function.
Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here.

It also sought to recall 71,248 Yuan Pro electric vehicles made between February 2021 and August 2022 due to manufacturing issues affecting battery installation.
In January, the company made a recall of 6,843 Fangchengbao Bao 5 plug-in hybrid off-road SUVs citing fire risks.
Before that, the automaker had recalled nearly 97,000 Dolphin and Yuan Plus EVs due to a manufacturing fault involving a steering control unit that posed risks of fire in September 2024.
Reporting by Liz Lee and Qiaoyi Li; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Stephen Coates
 
Which is bigger and more profitable byd or catl? Is catl owned by byd?
Byd is much bigger. Dunno if its profitable. They were into electric bus way earlier. Cars only recently but very aggressive. They even bought 9 car carriers ( ships) to exports its cars. And more on order i think.

But CATL has come up with new sodium batteries said to last a million miles meaning no degradation like lithium ion. And cheaper too . And no thermal runaways. It doesn't incinerate. This can be the battery to wait for when it comes into EV's.
 
Byd is much bigger. Dunno if its profitable. They were into electric bus way earlier. Cars only recently but very aggressive. They even bought 9 car carriers ( ships) to exports its cars. And more on order i think.

But CATL has come up with new sodium batteries said to last a million miles meaning no degradation like lithium ion. And cheaper too . And no thermal runaways. It doesn't incinerate. This can be the battery to wait for when it comes into EV's.
This CATL ownself claim ownself prove, like Nio?
 
Once the Tiong dirty money dries up, all these heavily subidized GLCs (there are no private companies in China) can no longer dump their products at cheap prices overseas.

Another tell-tale sign is those shady Tiong construction companies leaving condo projects unfinished. You have witnessed this in JB.

The CCP regime would rather let millions of Tiongs starve to death than lose its grip on power. The Tiongs can't vote the CCP out and have been ball-less since Tiananmen to topple the regime. :cool:
 
This CATL ownself claim ownself prove, like Nio?
Nope. Nio is not good at batteries. Its their battery exchange system they rely on which PAP suing them for. It takes just 3 minutes to change a empty battery to a fully charged one. Like filling petrol.
CATL Sodium batteries will be in the market maybe 2027. So all the advantage of solid state minus the cost. A game changer and winner.
 
Once the Tiong dirty money dries up, all these heavily subidized GLCs (there are no private companies in China) can no longer dump their products at cheap prices overseas.

Another tell-tale sign is those shady Tiong construction companies leaving condo projects unfinished. You have witnessed this in JB.

The CCP regime would rather let millions of Tiongs starve to death than lose its grip on power. The Tiongs can't vote the CCP out and have been ball-less since Tiananmen to topple the regime. :cool:
BYD and catl are not state run entities.
 
Once the Tiong dirty money dries up, all these heavily subidized GLCs (there are no private companies in China) can no longer dump their products at cheap prices overseas.

Another tell-tale sign is those shady Tiong construction companies leaving condo projects unfinished. You have witnessed this in JB.

The CCP regime would rather let millions of Tiongs starve to death than lose its grip on power. The Tiongs can't vote the CCP out and have been ball-less since Tiananmen to topple the regime. :cool:
That means should by Byd now since its subsidies?
 
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