<article><p class="lead">Chinese auto manufacturer BYD increased its sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in October, supported by growth in the entire automobile market and increased orders for its new NEV model. </p><p>BYD sold 23,217 NEVs in October, up by 16.8pc from September and by 84.7pc from a year earlier. NEV sales in October accounted for 48.6pc of the company's total vehicle sales of 47,732, up from a 47.1pc share in September. </p><p>China's automobile market, particularly the NEV sector, has been recovering since the second half of this year. July NEV production and sales rose for the first time in 2020 compared with a year earlier, following a revival in the auto sector from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.</p><p>The Chinese government has taken various measures to accelerate NEV adoption in the longer term. China's state council earlier this week announced a development plan for the NEV industry during 2021-35, targeting a <a href="https://metals.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2155768">20pc share</a> of NEVs in the country's total vehicles sales by 2035.</p><p>Shipments of the firm's new model BYD Han have been rising since it was released in July, with its production and sales beyond market expectations, according to the firm. The Han is equipped with the blade battery, which is a type of lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack. BYD said that the blade battery can increase the energy density by at least 30pc and reduce raw material costs by 30pc.</p><p>BYD sold 14,919 pure-electric passenger vehicles in October, up by 22.2pc from September and by 96.6pc a year earlier. Its October sales of plug-in hybrids passenger vehicles rose to 7,126, up by 11.5pc from September and by 60pc from a year earlier. </p><p>BYD sold 134,158 NEVs during January-October, down by 34.6pc from the same period in 2019. Sales of pure-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids over this period fell to 93,268 and 32,639 respectively. This was down by 28.9pc and 51.1pc from a year earlier, as a result of disruptions during the Covid-19 outbreak, particularly in the first quarter. </p><p>BYD produced 1.507GWh of power and energy storage batteries in October, up by 18.6pc from a month earlier and by 152pc from a year earlier. Its January-October production fell by 23pc from a year earlier to 8.591GWh.</p></article>
