Weekend Round-Up: Tesla Loses EV Crown, BYD's Overseas Sales Surge And Stellantis-Backed Leapmotor Bags $530 Million Funding

Core Insights - Tesla has lost its position as the world's leading electric vehicle (EV) maker to BYD after experiencing a second consecutive year of declining sales [1][2] - BYD reported a significant increase in overseas deliveries despite a decline in domestic sales [1][3] Tesla's Performance - Tesla's fully electric vehicle deliveries fell by 9% in 2025, totaling 1.64 million units compared to 1.79 million in 2024 [2] - The decline is attributed to increased competition, particularly from Chinese manufacturers, and the expiration of U.S. federal EV tax credits [2] BYD's Sales Figures - BYD experienced an 18.34% year-over-year decline in December sales, with total sales of over 420,398 units [3] - However, the company saw a remarkable 133.01% year-over-year increase in overseas deliveries, selling over 133,172 units abroad [3] Rivian's Delivery Results - Rivian reported a 26.2% drop in fourth-quarter deliveries, with only 9,745 vehicles delivered compared to 13,201 in the previous quarter [4] - For the full year 2025, Rivian produced 42,284 vehicles and delivered 42,247, marking an approximately 18% year-over-year decrease from 51,579 deliveries in 2024 [4] Leapmotor's Funding - Leapmotor, backed by Stellantis, secured over $530 million in funding from the state-owned automaker FAW [5] - The CEO of Leapmotor, Zhu Jiangming, set an ambitious target of achieving 4 million annual sales by the next decade [5] Waymo's Expansion - Waymo, supported by Alphabet, has begun testing its Robotaxi service in London as part of its expansion plans into international markets [6] Nio's Record Deliveries - Nio reported a record 48,135 vehicle deliveries in December 2025, reflecting a 54.6% year-over-year increase [7] - The deliveries included 31,897 units from the NIO brand, 9,154 from the ONVO brand, and 7,084 from the FIREFLY brand [7]