BYD sold only 500 cars in India last month—but the quiet Chinese automaker, led by a factory-floor billionaire, has now beaten Elon Musk’s Tesla in global EV sales for two straight quarters. As Tesla gears up for its India debut on August 1, investor Rahul Mathur says the battle between Musk and Wang Chuanfu is just getting started—and India is about to become the next front.

“Last month, BYD sold 500 units in India—which is ~0.1% of its global sales (3.8 lakh units),” Mathur posted on LinkedIn. Despite its low visibility here, BYD’s tech is pulling ahead abroad: its newest models in China offer 500+ km range on a five-minute charge—nearly 50 times faster than the MG ZS EV Mathur drives.

Chairman Wang Chuanfu’s goal, he says, is to make EV charging “as fast as refueling petrol cars.” His hands-on leadership—driving himself to work, putting in 70-hour weeks, and walking the factory floor in uniform—has drawn praise from Charlie Munger, who called him “a combination of Thomas Edison and Jack Welch.”

Wang, once a battery chemist, founded BYD in 1995. The company entered automobiles in 2003 and launched its first EV in 2009. Berkshire Hathaway invested $230 million in BYD in 2008—an early bet that has now returned over 15x.

In India, BYD launched the Atto 3 SUV in 2022, assembling it locally in Chennai. But its May 2025 sales accounted for less than 4% of the country’s total EV market.

That’s where Tesla enters the picture. Starting August, Elon Musk’s company plans to produce 5 lakh vehicles per month in India—a bold move in a country still warming up to EVs.

“Keeping geopolitics aside, one has to admire both Musk and Wang,” Mathur wrote. “Both approaches work—both vehicles have an engaged fan base.”