BYD breaks records with 880% growth in car sales as UK becomes Chinese brand's largest overseas market

BYD said it would continue its rollout of hybrids and electric cars in the coming months
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Chinese giant BYD has secured its most successful month ever in September as more British drivers switch to hybrid and electric vehicles.
BYD UK sold a staggering 11,271 cars last month, representing an incredible 880 per cent growth in new registrations compared to September last year.
Its sales totals also helped the brand overtake legacy manufacturers, including Renault and Seat, as BYD continues to expand its operations across the UK market.
The UK has now become BYD's largest international market outside of China, with sales of more than 35,000 since the start of the year.
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Its market share of new vehicles has also grown impressively, making up more than one in every 50 vehicles sold in the UK.
The brand's Seal U MD-i hybrid model has also topped the charts of BYD's sales and is the UK's best-selling plug-in hybrid year-to-date.
The Seal U DM-i features dual-mode hybrid technology and recorded 7,524 sales between July and September.
BYD's electric models are also cutting through to the UK audience, with almost 2,600 Sealion 7 models sold in the same period.
READ MORE: BYD reaches 'remarkable' UK milestone as Chinese brand continues rapid global expansion
BYD has seen its registrations of new hybrid and electric cars soar over the last few weeks
|BYD
Despite launching in the UK only a few years ago, BYD has quickly become one of the biggest players in the new car market, especially for drivers looking to ditch petrol and diesel vehicles.
Commenting on the sales success, BYD UK Country Manager, Bono Ge, said: "I am so proud of our team and retailer partners; this is 100 per cent their result and is a testament to their continued hard work and determination in driving BYD forwards and spreading the word about our brand up and down the country.
"To see us achieve our largest ever sales month in the UK is clearly fantastic, but to become the largest overseas market for BYD too, makes me immensely proud."
Mr Ge also confirmed that BYD would be launching new hybrid and electric cars in the coming months as it looks to continue its rapid rollout of vehicles.
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BYD recently opened its 100th retail site, with drivers now just an average drive time of 27 minutes away from a dealership across most of the UK.
The Shenzhen-based brand has also unveiled its dedicated Battery Service Centre in Milton Keynes, which will initially focus on batteries contained in electric buses.
BYD already has almost 2,500 buses in operation around the UK, including 84 per cent of the electric buses in service across London.
While BYD is yet to be included in Labour's £650million Electric Car Grant, it has launched a rival offer for motorists to boost sales.
BYD said it would introduce more hybrid and electric cars to the UK market in the coming months
| BYDIt announced that it would increase its power battery warranty to eight years and 200,000km, which applies to all of its hybrid and electric vehicles.
A secondary offer of five years of free servicing is eligible on the Dolphin Surf, Dolphin, Atto 3 and approved used vehicles purchased through the retail network.
Speaking at the time of its launch, Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood suggested that Chinese brands would not be made eligible for the incentive scheme.
She noted that many Chinese manufacturers still rely on coal-powered factories to make vehicles, which goes against the Government's environmental and sustainability targets for the ECG scheme.