China's BYD last year, for the first time ever, surpassed America's Ford in global vehicle sales (including passenger and commercial vehicles).
Ford said on the 10th (local time) that last year's sales came to 4.395 million units, down 75,000 from 4.47 million a year earlier.
In contrast, BYD earlier said its sales last year increased by 330,000 from the previous year to about 4.6 million units.
In last year's global vehicle sales rankings, BYD rose one spot to No. 6, while Ford fell one spot to No. 7. Ford's sales in the United States increased last year, but its footing weakened in China and Europe.
In particular, in China, low-priced electric models from domestic companies such as BYD, Xiaomi, and Geely Automobile Holdings are taking over the home market.
BYD's exports last year came to 1.05 million units. The company is targeting exports of 1.3 million units this year.
According to Bloomberg, Toyota kept the global sales crown for the sixth straight year with 11.32 million units. It was followed by No. 2 Volkswagen (8.98 million) and No. 3 Hyundai Motor and Kia (7.28 million). China's Geely Automobile Holdings (4.12 million) jumped two spots to No. 8, ahead of Japan's Honda (3.52 million) and Nissan (3.20 million).