BYD’s Record Export Surge and Robotik Pivot Fail to Revive Stock Stuck Near Year Lows

BYD's May sales rose 0.3% YoY, ending decline, fueled by record exports. Domestic fell 24%. Stock near low. Enters robotics, signs energy deal.

After eight straight months of declining Chinese sales, BYD finally broke the losing streak in May — but the recovery came almost entirely from overseas markets. The Shenzhen-based automaker sold 383,453 new energy vehicles last month, a 0.3% year-on-year increase that snapped the streak of negative comparisons. Shares, however, barely budged, closing Friday at EUR 9.84 — just 3% above their 52-week low of EUR 9.51.

The real story is the export boom. Deliveries to international markets surged 80% from a year earlier to a record 160,644 units, accounting for nearly 42% of the monthly total. BYD is now the best-selling electric-vehicle brand in the UK and made its first delivery to Australia via its new car carrier BYD Zhengzhou, which offloaded 4,809 vehicles in Melbourne. Domestic sales, however, fell for the 13th consecutive month, sliding 24% amid Beijing’s price-control directives and tepid consumer demand for intelligent driving features.

BYD confirmed on June 4 that it will enter the humanoid robotics space, tapping into technological overlaps between automotive AI and autonomous machines. Vice President Li Ke cited advantages in manufacturing, software, and hardware. The company also signed a strategic partnership with Sinopec to develop an integrated smart-energy ecosystem covering fast charging, after-sales services, and solar-storage solutions — part of what it calls the “Flash-Charging-China” strategy.

The strategic diversification comes as BYD’s financials show strain. First-quarter net profit plunged 55% to CNY 4.09 billion, while revenue fell nearly 12% to CNY 150 billion. Industry margins in China have contracted to just 3.2%. Exports offer higher margins, but the question is whether they can compensate for the domestic slump. BYD is targeting 5–5.5 million vehicle sales in 2026 — a goal that would require roughly 500,000 deliveries per month for the rest of the year, almost double the current monthly average.

New plug-in hybrid models aim to ignite demand. The Sealion 06 DM-i and Song Ultra DM-i, both starting at around EUR 17,000, offer a combined range of up to 1,845 kilometres. Production capacity is expected to normalize after plant retooling in June. Management has promised a steady rise in monthly sales during the second half.

The international rollout continues on multiple fronts. The Hungarian factory in Szeged began trial production in January, with series output expected in the second quarter. In the UK, BYD launched the Dolphin Cargo, a compact electric van with a city range of up to 347 miles. For South Korea, the company aims to sell more than 10,000 vehicles by year-end, after recording 1,032 registrations in May.

The stock has lost 78.5% of its value over the past 52 weeks. The relative strength index sits at 38, flirting with oversold territory, and the shares trade roughly 10% below both the 50-day and 200-day moving averages. For all the optimism around robotics, energy partnerships, and export records, the market is waiting for operational results that materially improve the bottom line. Until the domestic headwinds ease, the stock is likely to remain under pressure.