Stellantis takes aim at BYD – who responded swiftly

The tone among Chinese automakers is becoming sharper. After Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa inaccurately presented Leapmotor’s sales figures in Germany, BYD issued an unusually pointed response.

Automotive executives are usually well-trained PR professionals. Even when asked directly about competitors, they often skilfully avoid answering while still promoting their own company. Statements are frequently phrased to make clear who is being discussed without naming the competitor.

It was thus unusual that Antonio Filosa, CEO of the entire Stellantis group since summer, commented directly on a competitor, specifically regarding the German market. When a corporate boss makes a public statement about another company, either they are very well-informed or have been thoroughly briefed by their team. Filosa claimed that Leapmotor International, the Stellantis-Leapmotor joint venture, had sold more cars than BYD in Germany.

BYD responded in an unexpected way. A day later, a press release was issued—not by BYD Germany, but by BYD Italia—addressing Filosa’s comments.

“As a reaction to yesterday’s statements by Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, who publicly stated that ‘Leapmotor sold more than BYD in Germany’, the company clarifies the following sales figures for the German market from January to August 2025:
With 8,610 new registrations in the first eight months of the year, BYD is well ahead of Leapmotor, which recorded only 3,536 vehicles. In the BEV and PHEV segments, BYD registered 5,852 BEVs and 2,757 PHEVs, surpassing Leapmotor with 3,088 BEVs and 448 PHEVs.”

Who is correct? Official figures from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) provide clarity. BYD’s statement is broadly accurate, though the exact numbers differ. As of the end of August, the KBA recorded 8,563 new BYDs in Germany, including 1,114 in August. Leapmotor registered 3,531 vehicles for the year, with 826 new registrations in August.

Looking at battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids separately, BYD still leads in Germany: 5,803 BEVs versus 3,083 for Leapmotor, and 2,775 PHEVs versus 448 for Leapmotor. Interestingly, the 448 PHEVs figure for Leapmotor in BYD’s release is the only number that exactly matches KBA data.

BYD’s press release drew attention to the issue—Filosa’s earlier, factually incorrect comments had not received significant coverage until the response highlighted the discrepancy.

Source: Information per e-mail (in German)

This article was first published by Sebastian Schaal for electrive’s German edition.