Is Tesla Still the Most Valuable Car Company in the World?

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Metallurgy graduate Wang Chuanfu founded BYD in 1995.  BYD is a small Chinese company focused on producing rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries more cheaply than Japanese competitors. Nearly 30 years later, the Shenzhen-based firm has become the world’s leading manufacturer of electric vehicles (EVs), even surpassing American giant Tesla (TSLA) in global sales of pure-play electric cars in the last quarter of 2023. 

But the two companies are still running neck and neck, with Tesla regaining its crown in the first quarter of 2024. 

Here’s how they compare, in four charts.