Is BYD Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust?

[Dustin]

I’ve been watching BYD’s moves lately and honestly… it’s hard not to be impressed.


They’re not just dominating EV sales in China—they’re expanding aggressively into Europe, Southeast Asia, and even Latin America. Meanwhile, legacy automakers like Ford, GM, and even Toyota seem to be stalling or scaling back EV production plans. Some are struggling with supply chain issues, others just can't compete on cost or battery tech.


Makes me wonder:

• Is BYD pulling so far ahead that the rest won’t catch up?
• Are traditional automakers too slow or too locked into old systems to pivot effectively?
• And maybe most importantly for me: Should I be pulling my investments out of these “legacy” auto companies and going all-in on EV-first players like BYD or Tesla?

Curious how others are thinking about this—either from a tech, supply chain, or investment perspective. Who’s actually positioned to win the long game here?

 

[Rare Earth Rookie]

Dustin, why would investors still be betting their money on tesla over byd at this point?

Elon on BYD YouTube clip

byd’s climbing fast and even elon said they’d demolish everyone else if there weren’t trade barriers. that video was from last year—now we do have the barriers, but is that really enough? or just a temporary stall before byd steamrolls everything?

 

[John]

Hi @Rare Earth Rookie

Hey you can embed the youtube like this (the little icon that looks like this:

 

[John]

I have been looking at new cars (have a new baby...so we need to get something different).


And the BYDs just feel like they won't last. And I also think that their resale will be terrible (say 5 years out).

 

[Invest-in-USA]

@John

What makes you think BYD can’t make cars that last? I would assume that Elon would have evaluated that when he was comparing them to his Teslas.

 

[John]

I have the same view of Teslas....i have some friends that have them (Teslas)....and they are full of issues.

Plus...check out these costs that will destory reslae value:

Tesla Model	Battery Pack Replacement Cost est.	Battery Size (kWh)
Model 3	$15,000 – $22,000	50–82 kWh
Model Y	$15,000 – $23,000	70–82 kWh
Model S (pre-2020)	$22,000 – $35,000+	75–100 kWh
Model X (pre-2020)	$25,000 – $37,000+	90–100 kWh
Model S/X (post-2021)	$30,000+	100 kWh (Plaid)
Roadster (original)	$25,000 – $45,000	~53 kWh

 

[Dustin]

Dustin, why would investors still be betting their money on tesla over byd at this point?

Elon on BYD YouTube clip

byd’s climbing fast and even elon said they’d demolish everyone else if there weren’t trade barriers. that video was from last year—now we do have the barriers, but is that really enough? or just a temporary stall before byd steamrolls everything?

@Rare Earth Rookie - Tesla was just an example of "other competition," but we're seeing articles on Ford and GM pulling out of China and doubling down in Europe. But BYD is making its way into Europe... chasing the competition out of every town it seems. Haha

But speaking of investing Tesla specifically, seems like waiting to see what happens is most wise considering the kind of spotlight they're under.

 

[Dustin]

@John

What makes you think BYD can’t make cars that last? I would assume that Elon would have evaluated that when he was comparing them to his Teslas.

@John @Invest-in-USA - What I am learning about Chinese Business Culture is that competition gets fierce and it's always a race to the bottom. Giving things away for free or at extreme discount to foster rapid and broad adoption of a product or service. Not always, but most of the time it tends to pay off if you're the last one standing.

Looking at @John's table, the cost of a Tesla car battery is the cost of an entire BYD vehicle. That type of undercutting is what will put BYD on top. Hence my question/concern about wasting time investing in other brands.

That aside, what is to become of other businesses outside of China if they decide to extend their reach beyond their own domestic competition?

 

[Invest-in-USA]

@John @Invest-in-USA - What I am learning about Chinese Business Culture is that competition gets fierce and it's always a race to the bottom. Giving things away for free or at extreme discount to foster rapid and broad adoption of a product or service. Not always, but most of the time it tends to pay off if you're the last one standing.

Looking at @John's table, the cost of a Tesla car battery is the cost of an entire BYD vehicle. That type of undercutting is what will put BYD on top. Hence my question/concern about wasting time investing in other brands.

That aside, what is to become of other businesses outside of China if they decide to extend their reach beyond their own domestic competition?

Been working with some Chinese execs lately and it’s humbling. No pause, no fluff — just vanish for a few hours, then back at it like nothing happened, fully dialed in.
Feels like they run on a different operating system.

Re: your question>>
That’s the concern. If they scale that intensity outward, most companies won’t keep up. It’s not just about lower costs — it’s speed, discipline, and total focus. Competing with that takes more than quarterly strategy decks.

Any talk yet of Europe issuing tariffs too? Or are they still playing nice while China eats their lunch?

 

[Dustin]

Been working with some Chinese execs lately and it’s humbling. No pause, no fluff — just vanish for a few hours, then back at it like nothing happened, fully dialed in.
Feels like they run on a different operating system.

Re: your question>>
That’s the concern. If they scale that intensity outward, most companies won’t keep up. It’s not just about lower costs — it’s speed, discipline, and total focus. Competing with that takes more than quarterly strategy decks.

Any talk yet of Europe issuing tariffs too? Or are they still playing nice while China eats their lunch?

Wow, well said. This is something I think many people are unaware of.

I haven't heard of EU tariffs, but let's be real... there's a lot of flip-flopping tariff news, it's hard to keep up. Haha

 

[John]

Been working with some Chinese execs lately and it’s humbling. No pause, no fluff — just vanish for a few hours, then back at it like nothing happened, fully dialed in.
Feels like they run on a different operating system.

Re: your question>>
That’s the concern. If they scale that intensity outward, most companies won’t keep up. It’s not just about lower costs — it’s speed, discipline, and total focus. Competing with that takes more than quarterly strategy decks.

Any talk yet of Europe issuing tariffs too? Or are they still playing nice while China eats their lunch?

Euro "tariffs" are real. And going to happen...

They do it in a slightly different way...they mandate that by 2030, no more than 65% of the EU's annual consumption of any strategic raw material should be sourced from a single third country, such as China.

So it is a unique way to diversify the supply.