BYD sold more cars than Tesla and Tesla in Australia last month, the first time on record, and while this may not be due to the greater popularity of BYD's models, a win is a win.
Carexpert reported that BYD sold 1,310 vehicles in Australia in January this year, including 589 Seal sedans, 465 ATTO 3 sports SUVs and 256 Dolphin hatchbacks, the latter being the cheapest electric car in the country.
In the same month, Tesla sold 723 Model 3 and 384 Model Y locally, for a total of 1,107 units, the lowest since July 2022.
However, it is understood that Tesla's sales decline in Australia is not caused by poor purchases, but by two problems, which caused the American electric car manufacturer to be unable to deliver cars to customers.
The facelifted Model 3 began to be delivered in Australia in December last year, but after discovering that the rear middle seat could not hold the top seat belt fixture, and it may not be able to fix the child safety seat in the car, Tesla immediately stopped selling and announced a recall.
At the same time, a cargo ship carrying a large number of Tesla Model Y and part of the Model 3 returned to Chinese mainland after discovering a bed bug infestation on board.
BYD's sales in January of this year also did not hit new highs, with more than 1,400 units sold in a single month in the previous four months, three of which were achieved when the ATTO 3 could only be bought.
Australia's battery electric vehicle sales in January this year increased by only 08% to 4,893 units, largely due to Tesla's sluggish start to the year.
In 2023, Tesla sold 46,116 units in Australia, with just two cars enough to account for around 53% of all EV sales in the region.