BYD and Geely Hit Year-High October Sales as Exports More Than Double — While the China Home Market Slides

BYD and Geely Auto, China two biggest automakers, both posted their best monthly sales of 2026 in October, even as the wider Chinese market kept sliding. BYD delivered 490,168 vehicles in China and overseas during the month, up 11% from a year earlier, according to company statements reported November 2. Geely sold 310,183 petrol and electric vehicles globally, up 1% year over year. For both companies, the headline growth hides a split: the home market is weak, and exports are doing the heavy lifting.

The export numbers are striking. BYD exports more than doubled to 170,194 units in October — Morningstar reports 170,194, while Inside China Auto puts the overseas figure at 169,564 for BYD group, a small definitional difference worth noting rather than smoothing over. Geely exports also more than doubled, to 107,153 units. Independent Shanghai-based analyst Gao Shen attributed the leaders performance to new model launches and cost and technology advantages, and said their growth has intensified pressure on weaker automakers fighting for survival at home.

The backdrop explains why exports matter so much. Nomura estimates Chinese domestic sales fell around 25% in October, returning demand to roughly 2014 levels, and the China Passenger Car Association estimated retail sales would fall 28% year over year. In that market, a company that can sell abroad is insulated; one that cannot is exposed. BYD and Geely October results are therefore less a story of a booming China market than of two scale players outrunning it.