BYD has become a relentless discounter in the price war that Tesla started in the world's largest auto market last year. That aggressive stance has helped it unseat its U.S. rival as the world's biggest seller of electric vehicles, even though most of BYD's cars are sold in China.

China’s top maker of electric vehicles (EV) wants to pay a lot less for car parts in the new year, a demand that signals there is no end in sight to a vicious price war nor economic gloom marked by lower wages and uncertain prospects.

BYD Co. has asked suppliers to accept price cuts next year in a signal the Chinese electric vehicle maker is preparing for the brutal price war in the world’s biggest auto market to intensify.

Workers work on the assembly line at a factory of vehicle manufacturer BYD Auto in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. File photo: Xinhua. Annual price negotiations with su

An executive from BYD said on Wednesday the Chinese automaker sets price reduction targets for suppliers when making large-scale purchases but these are negotiable and not mandatory. The comments from Brand and Public Relations Department general manager Li Yunfei on his Weibo account followed reports the Chinese automaker had told a supplier to cut prices by 10%.

SAIC Motor Corp.’s Maxus brand has joined market leader BYD Co. in seeking a 10% price cut from suppliers, another sign China’s auto price war will continue into next year.

BYD moves to shield itself from looming US tariffs as President-Elect Trump threatens new import taxes on Chinese, Canadian, and Mexican goods. The China-based EV giant has reportedly ordered suppliers to slash costs by 10% starting in 2025.

Chinas NEV giant BYD is urging suppliers to slash prices by 10% starting January 2025 to sustain its edge in an increasingly competitive market. The move underscores a growing trend of cost reductions as the