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points by UI_at_80x24 13 hours ago | 0 comments

I noticed that when I was there. I was pleasantly surprised to see as many BYD as I did.

That infact made me consider BYD even more seriously. Being able to see the car in person is far more impressive the a YouTube video.

[–] robotnikman 13 hours ago

I went there recently for a friends wedding, and about half the Uber's we took were driving Chinese EV's

[–] Danox 12 hours ago

BYD is taking over the world, one country at a time, Tesla is done worldwide just a matter of time.

[–] shirro 1 hour ago

BYD went from unheard of to number 2 in Australia in about 4 years. Chinese made Tesla are still holding onto 10th spot here but they have MG and Geely coming up behind them. BYD and GWM are now supported by local dealerships that have been in my town for decades and I see the cars in the local community unlike Tesla. I don't know where the Tesla sales are but they aren't around here.

I am still driving an ancient Nissan and although Electric is looking very compelling at the moment I distrust all the brands and products currently on the market regardless of nation of origin. I guess if they are all privacy nightmares then you might as well go for the cheapest.

[–] culi 11 hours ago

Maybe that's why they've decided to stop producing cars and are switching their factories to robotics

[–] motionlessveloc 9 hours ago

If I was afraid of competition from China, I don't think robotics is a field I'd enter to try to escape it.

Maybe Tesla should expand into Mexican restaurants or something.

[–] TMWNN 11 hours ago

Tesla is gaining share in Europe despite Chinese EVs, <https://www.kansas.com/news/business/article317450876.html> and benefited from Canada cutting import duty on Chinese EVs. <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-19/tesla-vol...>

[–] prmoustache 9 hours ago

That is not what the first article says.

It says Tesla registrations increase and I believe this may be a trend accross all EV brands with the influence of the Iran/US conflict on the price of gas.

[–] TMWNN 8 hours ago

> It says Tesla registrations increase

You and I both know that registrations are a proxy for car purchases. (The article even says so.)

>and I believe this may be a trend accross all EV brands with the influence of the Iran/US conflict on the price of gas.

Again from the article:

>According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, Tesla registrations across the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Association leaped 43.3% between January and August, outpacing the broader battery-electric vehicle market's 38.8% growth over the same period.

So tell me, again, what about my statement "Tesla is gaining share in Europe despite Chinese EVs" do you disagree with?

[–] bigyabai 7 hours ago

> what about my statement "Tesla is gaining share in Europe despite Chinese EVs" do you disagree with?

It's just missing the context that Tesla hemorrhaged European market share for 8 consecutive quarters.

From their current position, it would be genuinely difficult to find ways to piss off more of their customers.

[–] TMWNN 6 hours ago

>From their current position, it would be genuinely difficult to find ways to piss off more of their customers.

Tesla Model Y was the world's best-selling car in 2024 <https://www.focus2move.com/world-car-market-2024/> and 2025 <https://www.focus2move.com/world-car-market-2025/>, and has gained share in 2026 YTD. <https://www.focus2move.com/world-car-market/>

[–] bigyabai 5 hours ago

Yes, but that doesn't contradict my statement or support your original claim. Tesla would be challenged to polarize European customers any further than they have already.

[–] jonathanlydall 12 hours ago

Here in South Africa I’m seeing more and more BYDs all the time, the high fuel prices due to the Iran war is making their entry level EV pay for itself for people with any kind of commute.

I’ve been super happy with my Sealion 5 (PHEV) I bought in May, tank is still over half full since last filling it up mid July and having done about 4,500km since.

I have had two minor software issues. One time the one parking sensor warning indicator kind of got stuck on the centre screen (no noise though). The other was my wireless CarPlay refusing to connect. In both cases they self corrected once the car had been turned off (and unplugged) for a little while. A bit annoying at the time, especially as there seems to be no manual way to force a reset, but super isolated.

[–] piltdownman 12 hours ago

You're well over the 90 day mark where E10 is well into its degradation and standard unleaded is starting to sour. A nice problem to have in many respects, but just to be aware!

[–] mig39 12 hours ago

I drive a Mitsubishi PHEV. And it enforces this by not letting you drive on battery until you fill at least 20L of new fuel. So you're forced to use a portion of the tank at least every 90 days.

[–] jonathanlydall 12 hours ago

I appreciate the warning, will certainly do some homework here.

[–] tibbydudeza 11 hours ago

Chery brands have 24% market share car sales in S.A - it was ironic seeing the BMW dealership closing in my town and being replaced by a BYD one.

It will be interesting to see how VW responds next year with the locally manufactured small SUV Tengo targeting the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro 4 - why bother with an old Polo Vivo when you get something WAY better and modern.

It needs to retail at R269,000.00 or cheaper.

[–] jonathanlydall 10 hours ago

VWs are decent cars, but they've been somewhat "premiumly" priced since at least 2000, in my view the brand is irrationally overvalued by South Africans.

When I looked at a Polo around 2018, the finishes were a bit nicer, but compared to the Honda Jazz I went with (with CVT, cruise control, climate control) it was considerably more expensive.

BMWs and Mercedes are apparently having a really hard time here right now. Chinese cars are really comparable in terms of features and finish but for like half the price, the only other reason to buy a luxury German car is as a status symbol, but for the genuinely affluent here, a Mercedes or BMW isn't exclusive enough.

They're not dead yet as there are still quite a few South Africans who deem it essential to their social status to have the nicest possible car at the absolute limit of what they can afford. My theory on why they do this is because others can see the car they pitch up in, but don't see that each night it's parked outdoors of a rented apartment worth barely more (possibly less) than the car.

[–] rylando 13 hours ago

I was really impressed with the BYD’s I rode in for uber while in Mexico