Visitors inspect a BYD Song Ultra EV at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area auto show on May 31 in Shenzhen. CHINA DAILY
BYD reclaimed China's monthly auto sales crown in May, overtaking SAIC Motor for the first time in five months, as robust overseas demand and strong performance from its premium brands helped offset persistent pressure in the domestic market.
BYD sold 383,453 vehicles in May, up 0.25 percent from a year earlier, according to company data. The increase was modest but marked the automaker's first return to year-on-year growth after eight consecutive months of declines.
The result was enough to push BYD back ahead of State-owned rival SAIC Motor, which reported May sales of 348,988 vehicles, down 4.62 percent from a year earlier.
The latest figures underscore how China's largest automakers are increasingly relying on exports and higher-end products to maintain growth as intense competition continues to weigh on the world's biggest auto market.
