Elon Musk laughed at BYD as a competitor in 2011, now BYD has sold more EVs than Tesla in 2025

Elon Musk

• BYD overtook Tesla in global electric vehicle sales for 2025.
• BYD sold 2.26 million EVs, surpassing Tesla's 1.64 million deliveries.
• Musk's 2011 dismissal of BYD resurfaces as BYD claims the top spot.

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Elon Musk’s old laughs are haunting him on the internet again, but this time the punchline is electric cars, not smartphones.

In 2011, when Musk was asked whether BYD could compete with Tesla, he laughed it off. It was the same kind of confident dismissal the tech world once saw from Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer when the iPhone was introduced. Back then, Tesla was a rising star with big ideas, small production numbers, and a CEO who loved bold predictions. BYD, though already selling batteries and electric buses, wasn’t seen as a global rival by Musk at the time.

Fifteen years later, the tables have turned in a way no one can ignore.

According to a recent industry report, BYD has officially overtaken Tesla in annual global electric vehicle sales for 2025, marking the first time a competitor has surpassed Tesla on a full-year basis. BYD sold about 2.26 million fully electric vehicles worldwide, while Tesla delivered around 1.64 million. That means BYD didn’t just catch up, it crossed the line ahead. The update was widely reported as a major shift in the global EV market.

Why does this matter? Because for years, Tesla was the company everyone was trying to beat. Its name was practically a synonym for electric cars. Investors tracked it like a religion, fans defended it like a sports team, and competitors were always framed as the underdogs. Now BYD holds the title, and it’s a big psychological and industrial win for China’s EV ambitions.

BYD’s rise wasn’t built on surprise virality. It came from scale. The company launched models rapidly, priced aggressively, and expanded across markets faster than most legacy brands could react. It also benefited from owning large parts of its supply chain, especially batteries, which helped it produce vehicles in higher numbers. Tesla, on the other hand, saw slowing demand in several markets in 2025, a year when EV competition became fiercer and consumer choices widened.

The internet has responded exactly the way it usually does: with jokes, shock, and blunt commentary. Many users dug up Musk’s 2011 reaction just to point out how confidently wrong a CEO can be. Others turned the moment into a wider lesson — never underestimate a competitor that’s busy building while everyone else is busy tweeting.

To be fair, Tesla still leads in brand influence and global mindshare. It popularised EVs, made them aspirational, and pushed other carmakers to move faster. But influence and volume are two different races. In 2025, BYD won the volume game.

For Musk, the laughter stopped a long time ago. For BYD, the world might finally be hearing the sound of the last laugh.