- BYD has made wide-ranging price cuts to its Dynasty and Ocean series models, offering discounts of 10 percent to 30 percent.
- Analysts believe this could lead to further price competition in China and spark more rivals to follow suit.
BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) has began to offer wide-ranging price discounts on its Dynasty and Ocean lineup of models, which analysts say heightens the risk of a price war.
Customers who buy BYD-branded models before June 30 can get discounts of about 10 percent to 30 percent, according to the new energy-vehicle (NEV) maker’s Weibo posts yesterday.
These discounts mainly cover BYD’s affordable models priced under RMB 150,000 ($20,890), although the Xia MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), which costs more than RMB 200,000, is also included.
The Ocean range’s Seagull has a limited-time starting price of RMB 55,800, down from the official guide price of RMB 69,800.
The Dynasty series Qin Plus DM-i is priced from RMB 63,800 for a limited time, down from the official guide price of RMB 79,800.
These discounts are for BYD’s latest smart driving Edition models, not for older models as previously.
They don’t include the government’s trade-in subsidies, which means the price buyers actually pay will be further reduced by RMB 15,000.
BYD price discounts available in China till Jun 30, 2025
Deutsche Bank analyst Wang Bin’s team attributed the price discounts to rapid growth in dealer inventories in a research note today.
In the first four months of 2025, BYD dealer inventories increased by about 150,000 units, equivalent to half a month’s retail sales, according to the team.
“According to our dealer checks, BYD’s dealer-level inventory is currently at 3-4 months, likely the maximum level that the dealers can bear,” Deutsche Bank wrote.
As a result, BYD has decided to launch more promotions to reduce dealer inventory, the team said.
The increase in dealer inventories is largely due to BYD’s ambitious sales targets, with the company aiming to sell 5.5 million vehicles in 2025, representing a 30 percent year-on-year increase, Deutsche Bank noted.
However, BYD’s retail sales in the first four months were up just 15 percent year-on-year, the team said.
The team attributed the weak retail sales to a disappointing volume of new orders for its God’s Eye autonomous driving campaign.
Deutsche Bank believes BYD’s additional price discounting measures could lead to further price competition in the mass-market price range and trigger more competitors to follow suit.
For example, Dongfeng Motor just this week cut the starting price of its eπ 007 sedan from RMB 132,000 to RMB 120,000, a reduction of 9 percent, or about RMB 12,000, Deutsche Bank noted.
($1 = RMB 7.1806)
BYD’s car sales target for 2025 is 5.5 million units, including more than 800,000 in overseas markets, according to local media.
