On November 18, BYD held an anniversary celebration in Shenzhen’s Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone. The event marked BYD’s 30th anniversary and the production of its 10 millionth new energy vehicle. BYD became the first global automaker to achieve this milestone in new energy vehicles.
Wang Chuanfu detailed BYD’s 30-year journey. He started with a team of 20 in a small factory in Shenzhen. BYD faced challenges but grew strong with the spirit of “dare to think, dare to act, dare to persist.” Today, BYD employs nearly one million people and stands as a world-class enterprise. BYD has become the first carmaker to produce its 10 millionth new energy vehicle. This marks a new milestone for BYD and for China’s automotive industry. It signals China’s shift from a major automotive nation to a strong automotive power, paving the way for high-quality development. BYD’s achievements are accelerating. This year, BYD’s car sales hit a record high. In the first half, they sold 1.607 million new energy passenger vehicles, leading global sales. They also reached milestones of 7 million, 8 million, 9 million, and 10 million new energy vehicles. The latest million took less than two months. BYD took 15 years to reach its first 5 million new energy vehicles. It took only 15 months to reach the next 5 million, showcasing China’s automotive speed. Wang Chuanfu affirmed that BYD’s commitment to new energy and technological innovation is correct.
BYD held a ceremony for the 10 millionth new energy vehicle. The vehicle is a Tengshi Z9, just launched at the Guangzhou Auto Show. Its owner is Feng Ji, founder and CEO of Game Science. He produced the popular 3A game “Black Myth: Wukong.” Wang Chuanfu, founder and chairman of BYD, presented the car key to Feng Ji. Feng Ji expressed his honor in becoming the owner of BYD’s 10 millionth new energy vehicle. He plans to work with BYD to tell China’s story with world-class quality.
At the press conference, BYD Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu said that daring to dream, act, and persist brought BYD to today. This spirit of daring belongs to both the children of China and BYD. BYD commits to using technological innovation to meet people’s aspirations for a better life. It gives back to society, car owners, and employees through concrete actions. To celebrate, BYD officially released its 30th anniversary theme song, “Dare.” BYD’s confidence in daring comes from technology, which stems from an engineering culture. Wang Chuanfu stated, “The soul of the engineer is the soul of BYD. Even if we lose all our assets—factories, patents, stocks—as long as the engineers remain, we can rise again at any time.”
BYD reviewed its development over the past 30 years. It led and deeply participated in writing the “BYD Basic Outline.” Wang Chuanfu stated that this outline summarizes BYD’s past experiences and underlying logic. It also serves as a guide for the future. BYD has consistently thought, spoken, and acted this way for years. In the future, BYD will continue this approach.
Famous media figure and cultural finance observer Qin Shuo presents an authentic view of BYD. He interviews nearly a hundred executives and employee representatives from within the company. He gathers 200 hours of audio and about 1.5 million words of interview content. He ultimately writes “The Soul of the Engineer.” This book is the only one officially authorized by BYD. It is published by CITIC Press and officially meets readers today.
To thank millions of users and nearly a million employees, Wang Chuanfu drew 90 “super lucky fish” at the Shenzhen Pingshan Notary Office. He awarded them new car usage rights. The prizes included the flagship models: Yangwang U8, Fangcheng Leopard 8, and Denza Z9GT.
In social welfare, Wang Chuanfu announced BYD’s establishment of a 3 billion yuan charity fund. This fund focuses on education. BYD will set up scholarships at many universities nationwide. It will also donate new energy dissecting vehicles to vocational schools, museums, and science centers. These vehicles will serve as educational tools. They aim to inspire students’ interest in automotive technology and industrial manufacturing. This effort will help cultivate more outstanding engineers. A review of BYD’s significant milestones over thirty years: On November 18, 1994, BYD officially founded in Shenzhen, with a team of 20. The next year, it obtained its business license. In 1995, BYD invested in battery research and manufacturing. It mainly produced mobile phone batteries. The company received production orders from brands like Philips, Sony, Motorola, and Nokia. BYD gradually became the global leader in nickel-cadmium batteries. In 2002, BYD acquired Beijing Jeep’s Jicheng Mould Factory. In 2003, BYD purchased Xi’an Qin Chuan Automobile in Shaanxi, gaining car manufacturing qualifications. This marked the beginning of its automotive manufacturing journey. In 2005, after discontinuing the 318 project, BYD launched the F3. The car’s excellent design and cost-effectiveness helped it secure a foothold in the market, becoming a sales champion in the sedan market. In 2006, BYD successfully developed the F3e and shifted focus to hybrid technology research and manufacturing. In 2009, BYD surpassed Chery in sales, becoming the top independent brand. It launched the all-electric BYD E6, equipped with self-developed lithium iron phosphate batteries. BYD acquired Hunan Midea Bus Manufacturing Co., gaining qualifications to produce electric buses. In 2013, BYD built its brand IP and promoted the “542 strategy.” It introduced the Dynasty series, starting with the BYD Qin. The Yuan, Song, and Tang models followed. In 2020, BYD launched the lithium iron phosphate blade battery, setting new safety standards for automotive power batteries. In 2021, BYD released the DM-i super hybrid technology. It gradually equipped new vehicles with this technology. BYD’s sales began to soar. In 2022, BYD became the first traditional car company to stop producing fuel vehicles. It will focus on pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the future. In 2023, BYD officially launched the Yangwang brand and its core technology, “Easy Square.” The rugged off-road SUV Yangwang U8 and the million-level electric performance supercar Yangwang U9 debuted, both priced over one million yuan. In 2024, BYD will unveil a new strategy for intelligent development in new energy vehicles: whole vehicle intelligence. Currently, BYD has 11 research institutes and over 110,000 R&D personnel. The total R&D investment exceeds 100 billion yuan. In the 2024 campus recruitment, the ratio of master’s and doctoral candidates exceeds 70%, and R&D personnel make up over 80%.