Berkshire Hathaway has fully exited its 17-year investment in BYD, ending a stake that surged 3,890% since its 2008 entry. Buffett and Munger initially invested $230 million, buying 225 million shares at HKD 8 (USD 1.03) each, with Munger praising BYD’s CEO Wang Chuanfu as a “miracle worker.”
Berkshire began selling in 2022 and gradually reduced its stake to under 5% by 2024, finally divesting completely on March 31, 2025. BYD executives described the move as normal and expressed gratitude for the long-term support.
The divestment comes amid a slowing growth phase for BYD, which faces fierce competition in China and has launched or relaunched three brands—Denza, Fang Cheng Bao, and Yangwang—to move upmarket.
Sales growth has stalled, with July and August seeing only marginal year-over-year increases (0.1% and 0.2%, respectively). BYD has internally lowered its 2025 annual sales target from 5.5 million to 4.6 million vehicles, having sold 2.83 million passenger vehicles globally from January to August.
