Chinese EV giant BYD sees UK sales soar by 880%

Chinese EV giant BYD sees UK sales soar by 880%

The BYD Seal U is the Chinese company's best-selling car in the UK

The UK is particularly attractive to firms like BYD as the country has not imposed tariffs on Chinese EVs, unlike other major markets such as the European Union and the US.

It comes after figures from the car industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed that sales of electric vehicles (EVs) jumped to a record high in September.

The company says it sold 11,271 cars in the UK last month, with the plug-in hybrid version of its Seal U sports utility vehicle (SUV) accounting for the majority of those sales.

Chinese car making giant BYD says the UK has become its biggest market outside China, after its sales there surged by 880% in September compared to a year earlier.

BYD, which offers cheaper models than many of its Western rivals, said its share of the UK market jumped to 3.6% in September.

The company will launch more new hybrid and electric cars in the months ahead, said the BYD's UK manager Bono Ge. He added that the brand's future in Britain looks "hugely exciting", having just opened its 100th retail outlet.

UK EV sales hit a record high last month, with sales of pure battery electric vehicles rising to almost 73,000, according to the SMMT.

Sales of plug-in hybrid cars grew even faster, it said.

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