BYD’s Premium Milestone Overshadowed by Blade Battery Retooling and Stock Weakness

BYD's luxury brand hits 400,000 vehicles sold while production lines adapt to next-gen Blade Battery, causing delivery delays; stock faces key support at HK$90.10 amid F1 and European expansion talks.

BYD’s upmarket Fang Cheng Bao brand has notched up a landmark 400,000 vehicles sold, with the latest delivery — a Tai 7 SUV — also doubling as the 150,000th unit of that model line. The achievement underscores a blistering growth trajectory: in April 2026 alone, Fang Cheng Bao handed over roughly 29,200 cars, a 190 percent surge from the same month a year earlier, while first-quarter cumulative sales of about 93,700 units represented a 220 percent leap.

Yet behind the celebratory headline lies a logistical squeeze. BYD is currently retooling its assembly lines to accommodate the second generation of its Blade Battery technology, a transition that has measurably stretched delivery times across several core models. The company must simultaneously roll out the new battery architecture and keep pace with swelling order books — a balancing act that is testing its production discipline.

That operational friction is also visible in the share price. BYD’s Hong Kong-listed stock ended Friday at 91.60 Hongkong dollars, a modest daily gain of 1.16 percent but a weekly loss of roughly 5 percent. The equity has shed about 11 percent since the end of April, and the recent low of 90.10 Hongkong dollars now serves as a critical floor. A break below that level could invite further selling, while a sustained push above the 96 Hongkong dollar resistance would brighten the technical picture. The shares currently trade just 3.5 percent above the February trough, and their 52-week range of 88.50 to 159.27 Hongkong dollars highlights just how deep the retreat has been.

Amid this domestic production stress, BYD is also pursuing high-profile strategic gambits. Vice-president Stella Li met former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner in Cannes to explore a potential entry into Formula 1. The talks are in their infancy, with no decision on whether BYD would join as an engine supplier, sponsor, or field its own team. Such a move would instantly amplify BYD’s global brand presence, even if it offers no near-term profit lift. Separately, the company is negotiating to acquire idle manufacturing capacity from Stellantis and other European producers, aiming to cut logistics costs and sidestep tariff hurdles.

Investors have a series of catalysts to watch. On 28 May, BYD will unveil its autonomous driving strategy, revealing details on software and hardware integration. The dividend ex-date falls on 11 June, and half-year results are scheduled for 28 August. Without official confirmation of the F1 plans, however, the stock lacks a hard fundamental catalyst near term, and chartists are fixated on the 90.10 Hongkong dollar support level as the key to near-term direction.