China's BYD beats Tesla, becomes world's top EV seller
Listen to the story (American accent)
The Chinese company BYD is now the world leader in electric vehicle (EV) sales. It has sold more cars than the American company Tesla for the first time in one year. In 2025, Tesla sold 1.64 million cars. This was a 9% drop from the year before. At the same time, BYD sales grew by 28% to more than 2.25 million cars.
Tesla had a difficult year for several reasons. Some customers did not like the new car models. Other people were worried about the political actions of Tesla’s owner, Elon Musk. Competition from Chinese companies like BYD, Geely, and MG also made things harder. These companies often sell their cars for less money than Western brands. To help, Tesla lowered its prices in the United States, but sales still fell. One reason was the end of a government program that gave buyers $7,500 to help pay for electric cars.
Elon Musk has big goals for the future. He wants to sell more cars and increase the company's value. He also plans to sell one million humanoid robots called Optimus. Experts say that Tesla’s success depends on new self-driving taxis. Some people believe Tesla will lead this market because of its large size. However, Musk has many other businesses, such as SpaceX and the social media platform X. Some investors worry he is too busy with these projects.
Although BYD sold more cars, Tesla still made more profit recently. BYD is growing quickly in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. In the United Kingdom, BYD sales grew by 880% in one year. Even though many countries are adding taxes to Chinese cars, BYD continues to expand because its prices are lower than its competitors.
Vocabulary34 words
- World leader
- the best in the world; the number one company; the top winner
- Electric vehicle (EV)
- a car that uses a battery; a car that runs on electricity, not gas or petrol 🚗🔋
- Sales
- the number of things a company sells; how much people buy 💰
- Million
- the number 1,000,000; a very large number
- Drop
- to go down; to become smaller; to decrease 📉
- At the same time
- happening together; during the same period; while something else happens
- Grow
- to get bigger; to increase; to become more 📈
- Several
- more than two, but not many; a few; some
- Model
- a specific type of car; a version of a product; a design
- Political
- about the government; about how a country is run; about leaders and laws 🏛️
- Owner
- the person who has something; the person something belongs to
- Competition
- other companies trying to win; a race to be the best; a struggle between rivals
- Western
- from countries like the USA, UK, or parts of Europe
- Brand
- a company name; a famous name for a product (like Tesla or Nike)
- Fall
- to go down; to drop; to become lower
- Government
- the group of people who lead and control a country
- Government program
- a plan by the leaders of a country to help people or give money
- Goal
- something you want to do; a plan for the future; an aim 🎯
- Value
- how much something is worth; the price of a company
- Humanoid
- looking like a person; having the shape of a human
- Robot
- a machine that can do work or move like a person 🤖
- Expert
- a person who knows a lot about a subject; a very smart person in a specific area
- Depend on
- to need someone or something; to be decided by something else
- Self-driving
- a car that can drive itself; a vehicle that does not need a person to steer
- Social media
- websites or apps where people share news and talk (like X or Facebook)
- Platform
- a type of computer system; a website or app
- Investor
- a person who gives money to a company to help it grow and make more money later
- Although
- even though; but; used to show a different or surprising fact
- Profit
- the money a company keeps after paying all its costs; extra money made from selling 💸
- Recently
- not long ago; in the past few days or months
- Southeast Asia
- a part of the world with countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia 🌏
- Latin America
- a part of the world with countries like Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina 🌎
- Tax
- money you must pay to the government
- Expand
- to get larger; to move into new places; to grow
Quiz
Answer key
1. A humanoid robot made by Tesla 2. The United Kingdom 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Chinese _____ BYD is now the world leader in electric vehicle (EV) _____ . It has sold more cars than the American company Tesla _____ the first time in one year. In 2025, Tesla sold _____ million cars. This was a 9% drop from the year before. _____ the same time, BYD sales grew by 28% to more than _____ million cars.
Tesla had a difficult _____ for several reasons. Some customers did not like the _____ car models. Other people were worried about the _____ actions of Tesla’s owner, Elon Musk. Competition from _____ companies like BYD, Geely, and MG _____ made things harder. These companies often sell their cars for less money than _____ brands. To help, Tesla lowered its prices in the United States, but sales _____ fell. One reason was the end of a government _____ that gave buyers $7,500 to help pay for electric cars.
Elon Musk _____ big goals for the future. He wants to sell more cars and _____ the company's value. He also plans to sell one million humanoid robots _____ Optimus. Experts say that Tesla’s success depends on new self-driving _____ . Some people believe Tesla will lead this market because of _____ large size. However, Musk has many other businesses, _____ as SpaceX and the social media platform X. Some investors _____ he is too busy with these projects.
Although BYD sold more _____ , Tesla still made more profit recently. BYD is _____ quickly in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. In the _____ , BYD sales grew by 880% in one year. Even though _____ countries are adding taxes to Chinese cars, BYD continues to _____ because its prices are lower than its _____ .
Discussion questions
- Do you think a company's owner should say their political opinions in public? Why or why not?
- If you were buying a car today, would you prefer a cheaper car from a new brand or a more expensive car from a famous brand?
- Tesla is planning to sell humanoid robots. Do you think robots will be helpful in our daily lives in the future?
- Why do you think Chinese electric car companies are becoming so successful around the world?
- Some investors worry that Elon Musk is "too busy." Do you think it is possible for one person to run many big companies successfully?
- Do you think self-driving "Robotaxis" are a good idea for big cities? Would you feel safe riding in one?
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