We are witnessing a great shift from regular internal combustion vehicles into electrification and fully electric battery electric vehicles (BEV).
The EV industry is advancing at a rapid pace, mostly because Chinese EV manufacturers are putting so much effort into creating some of the best EVs in the world.
One of these Chinese automakers is BYD. BYD has evolved and became the world’s largest EV maker. But there are some legacy automakers like Volkswagen that will not give up so easily and they are challenging BYD for the throne.
That’s why in this article, we will compare BYD and Volkswagen in many aspects and then sum up our conclusions. These aspects include technological innovation, performance, user experience, lineup, pricing, and much more. So, if you want to learn more, follow along till the end!
Technological Innovation
One of the main areas that makes a company so great is technological innovation. Only the greatest companies are building most of their components in-house instead of outsourcing them from other manufacturers.
Let’s start with BYD and their innovations. BYD has not always been a car manufacturer. Long before they started building cars, they produced batteries.
It was in 2003 when BYD decided to purchase a small car manufacturer from Norinco, China. And very soon, BYD Auto introduced its first model.
In the following years, they introduced many new models. Since BYD produced batteries, they focused primarily on building plug-in hybrids.
So, through the years they refined the electric powertrains and batteries. Then they decided to enter the EV industry. All of the powertrain components are built in-house by BYD.
And their most recent innovation is the Blade Battery. This battery is much different compared to your regular EV battery. This battery uses a different approach where the cells are stacked into arrays instead of modules, which results in low price, lower weight, and more energy density.
When it comes to Volkswagen, they are a company that specializes in ICE models. So, what they did primarily was sign cooperation agreements with many established EV suppliers.
This is why they are primarily outsourcing the components in their models. For example, VW has a partnership with one large Chinese EV manufacturer named XPeng. This company helps VW build their electric cars.
Performance and Driving Experience
Now let’s discuss what these companies can offer to you when it comes to driving dynamics and user experience.
When it comes to the overall driving dynamics, we can tell you that both of these companies do not focus a lot on performance.
These are companies that predominantly focus on creating perfect commuter models that will take you from point A to point B.
However, they have some performance models. For example, BYD has a high-performance version of the BYD Seal that delivers an unforgettable acceleration of 3.8 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h.
On the other hand, VW models are a bit slower than BYD. However, VW has high-performance brands like Porsche and Audi. These companies offer EVs that deliver a thrilling experience both in terms of driving around the corners and acceleration.
When it comes to interior comfort, both companies try to deliver the best they can. But overall, BYD is a class above VW in terms of cabin comfort and user experience. Especially the higher end BYD models.
That’s why we think that currently BYD has a better offering compared to VW when it comes to driving comfort and interior features.
Environmental Impact and Sustainability
When it comes to production of cars and also running cars on the roads, the environmental impact is extreme. This is why both BYD and Volkswagen are trying to minimize this impact.
These companies are using the best practices that are focused towards achieving full sustainability. So, what does this mean?
Well, this means that BYD and Volkswagen are trying to produce their cars and release a minimal carbon footprint.
They make sure that their factories are running on solar power and this way, they reduce the power used in their factories from fossil fuels.
And most importantly, the products that these companies deliver. These companies are working hard to deliver vehicles that produce zero emissions.
BYD even claimed that their goal as a company is to reduce the world temperature by 1 degree in the next decade. VW on the other hand has committed to reduce the world’s temperature by 1.5 degrees celsius. And these are some bold claims!
Most importantly, both of these companies are looking for suppliers that are using the best principles when it comes to mining and manufacturing.
These companies choose to avoid cooperating with companies that ruin the environment while trying to extract the precious minerals used in EV batteries.
By doing so, they work on saving the environment and help provide a greener future for us the people who live on this planet Earth.
Market Presence and Global Reach
What makes a company so great is the market presence and the global reach that this company has. The more reach, the more vehicles a company can offload to their customers and most importantly offer services for their customers like maintenance and repairs.
And we can tell you that VW is the No.1 car manufacturer in the world at the moment. This company is the largest on a global scale. Even larger than Toyota.
Volkswagen is basically dominating the market through its brands. For those who don’t know, VW has many sub brands. These include the main brand Volkswagen, as well as Audi, Porsche, Skoda, Seat, Lamborghini, Bugatti, and Bentley.
And as you can see, VW is a huge company that sells many millions of cars globally on a yearly basis.
BYD on the other hand is the largest EV manufacturer. So, if VW dominates when it comes to building ICE models, BYD dominates the EV industry in the same fashion.
All this makes BYD a very good contender to further develop and become even better. BYD currently is present in markets like the EU, China, Australia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Brazil. With further expansions planned.
But when you consider the sheer numbers, BYD is still far behind proper world domination. It will be 5 to 10 years until this brand gets on the same scale as Volkswagen is when it comes to reach and production capacities.
But BYD is working very hard to achieve this. So, we don’t doubt their success.
Model Lineup and Innovation
Another aspect that gives us a clear image of a certain carmaker is the lineup of models that this company offers.
BYD is one company that has an extremely large offering, starting from subcompact, compact, midsize, full-size models, and even electric buses. They have an option for everyone out there.
Currently in the subcompact segment they offer the BYD Dolphin and BYD Seagull, then you have the compact BYD QIN, midsize BYD Seal, and full size BYD Han.
There are also three SUVs, which include the BYD Atto 3, BYD Song Plus, and BYD Tang.
VW on the other hand has a smaller lineup of electric cars. Their famous series of EVs is the ID series.
The ID series includes the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, ID.6, ID.7, and ID.Buzz. However, VW also has a lineup of other EVs from Audi and Porsche. These include the e-tron models by Audi and the Porsche Taycan.
Autonomous Driving Capabilities
An area where many automakers strive to outcompete each other is in terms of autonomous driving capabilities. Buyers are obsessed with having self-driving cars and not have to drive again. So, what do BYD and VW offer to the buyer in his area?
Well, with BYD and VW models you get something that is known as Level 2 autonomy. So, what is Level 2 autonomy?
This is basically an autopilot for the highway. This is a feature known as adaptive cruise control that gives you some autonomy while driving at highway speeds.
But this is a very low level of automation that requires that you constantly put your hands on the steering wheel in order to work properly.
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Most of the companies in the EV segment are stuck to this level, while some have reached Level 3. But a fully self-driving vehicle will require reaching Level 5.
And we can tell you that we are very far from reaching this level of automation with today’s hardware and software.
However, BYD is reportedly working on the Level 3 autonomy. Recently they were granted permission to test these systems on the road.
VW on the other hand is testing Level 4 autonomy on the VW ID.Buzz van. So, the future will tell when we get this type of autonomy available on the market.
Pricing and Affordability
Pricing is another factor that you need to be aware of when it comes to buying a car from a certain brand.
When it comes to BYD and VW, we can tell you that BYD is far cheaper than VW. This is the case because BYD is trying to offer the best value for the money. While VW wants to profit a lot from its vehicles.
So, for example, the BYD Atto 3 starts as low as $19,000 in China. And the alternative VW ID.4 starts at $26,000 in China.
For the same amount of money, you can get a very well-equipped BYD Atto 3. This is why BYD is a better option. If you want to get a great deal, BYD is the right option for you!
Brand Image and Perception
Brand perception is very important when it comes to buying a new car. Many people rely on the brand name when they are buying a car. This is why it is so hard for companies to become profitable in this industry.
When it comes to the brand identity on a global scale, without a doubt, VW has an advantage over BYD. Buyers constantly buy cars from VW and they are pretty loyal to the brand. Especially buyers from Europe.
BYD on the other hand is a fairly new brand outside China and it will take some years until BYD reaches the same brand image as VW.
After-Sales Support and Maintenance
After sale support is very important when it comes to cars. You need to have some sort of security that the manufacturer will cover in case that something goes wrong.
So, with both carmakers you get a decent 8 years or 160,000 km warranty on the batteries. While vehicle warranty depends on the models.
What is also worth noting is that VW has a much larger network of service centers across the world compared to BYD.
VW is basically present in every corner of the world, which isn’t the case with BYD. In some regions you can struggle with finding parts and service centers for this brand.
But BYD is working hard to spread its network and make the customer experience a lot better than it is now.
Future Outlook and Industry Trends
What the future holds is still unknown. Both of these companies are following the latest industry trends and make sure that they are evolving as the time goes by.
So, implementing the latest technologies and standards is a must for both of these companies.
VW is trying very hard in establishing a footprint in the EV market and as of now they are doing fine.
VW is in the No.3 spot, while BYD is No.1 when it comes to electric car manufacturing. And VW will do whatever they can to jeopardize BYD and possibly become No.1. But whether this will happen depends a lot on BYD and its growth.
Conclusion
In this article, we compared BYD and VW in many key areas. These areas include technological innovations, sustainability, model lineup, pricing, brand image and more.
Overall, both BYD and VW are very large players in the EV segment right now. BYD ranks No.1, while VW is No.3.
Both companies are working hard in increasing the footprint in this industry and deliver the best products to the customers and help achieve sustainable transportation.
