From anonymity to volume deliveries. The meteoric rise of the BYD brand on the local market
Chinese manufacturer BYD is rapidly reconfiguring the domestic market. In just the first half of 2026, the electric vehicle giant managed to surpass brands with a decades-long tradition and secure a solid position in the preferences of Romanian drivers.
A historic leap in the national ranking. According to data provided by the Automobile Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA), between January and June 2026, BYD registered 2,140 new cars.
This performance brought it a market share of 3.33% and propelled the Asian manufacturer directly to 10th place in the top of car brands in Romania. It is an absolute premiere for a new brand entering the market to reach such a volume in such a short time.
From 5 cars to volume deliveries in less than two years
The evolution becomes even more spectacular if we look at the brand's expansion calendar. BYD began setting up its distribution network and the first logistical steps in Romania at the end of 2023 and during the first months of 2024.
Last year was dedicated to logistics settlement and homologation processes. As a direct comparison, in the first half of 2025, BYD appeared in the statistics with only 5 registered cars and a symbolic market share of 0.01%. In 2026, however, the testing phase ended, giving way to mass deliveries.
Sustained pace on the threshold of summer
The data from the end of the semester shows that Romanians' appetite for these models was not just a momentary impulse. In June 2026 alone, BYD registered 494 new cars, securing a market share of 3.09% during that month and demonstrating a stable cadence of imports and deliveries to customers.
The strategy behind the numbers: "We don't sell price, we sell the car"
The rapid success reflects an increased receptivity of the local public to the Chinese technological offensive, which relies on a diversified range of competitively positioned electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs).
Andrei Duic?, Deputy Country Manager BYD Romania, explains this dynamic: "The results from the first semester show that BYD entered Romania with a relevant product for the market and with a very clear promise: more technology, more efficiency and more value for the money invested by the customer. We don't want to sell price, we want to sell the car. The fact that we reached the top 10 in terms of the number of registrations, in such a short period of time, confirms that the interest in BYD is not a temporary one. It is a signal that the Romanian market is ready for a brand that lets its products and technology speak for itself."
With a rapidly expanding dealer network and a portfolio aligned with the current demand for electrification, BYD is transforming its presence from a novelty into a certainty that will dictate the pace of automotive competition in Romania in the second half of the year.
