BYD Sold More Than 490,000 New-Energy Vehicles in October — and Passed Toyota and Lexus Combined in South Korea

BYD sold more than 20,000 vehicles in South Korea during the first nine months of 2026, according to Reuters citing Carisyou — a total that puts the Chinese automaker ahead of Toyota and Lexus combined in that market. October extended the momentum: deliveries of new-energy vehicles reached 490,168 units, up 11 percent year on year, with battery-electric passenger cars accounting for 305,743 of that total, up 37.38 percent, while plug-in hybrids made up 177,382. Exports came in at 170,194 vehicles, more than doubling from a year earlier.

The flagship story is the Great Han. Launched on October 13 as the first fully electric D-segment flagship sedan in BYD's Dynasty lineup, the Great Han — or Da Han in China — reached 4,000 sales just 19 days after launch, according to BYD. Measuring 5,256 mm long, 1,999 mm wide, and 1,510 mm high on a 3,130 mm wheelbase, it is slightly bigger than the Tesla Model S and Lucid Air. The Great Tang SUV joined it as a flagship performer, with 14,000 sales in October, its fourth month above 10,000.

The sales mix is tilting toward pure electric, and BYD plans to launch the second-generation Seal 07 on November 5, 2026, in both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid form, according to media reports. Third-quarter results reported in late October showed revenue up 13.59 percent year on year to RMB 221.488 billion and net profit up 28.08 percent to RMB 10.02 billion — but as analysts noted, the question the October sales report does not answer is how much each vehicle contributes to profit, with exports doing the heavy lifting against sluggish demand and intense price competition at home.