Well-known Berkshire Hathaway fund manager Charlie Munger argues that BYD is beating Tesla in China, but the actual market situation seems more complex.
Besides being incredibly well known for his investment prowess at Berkshire Hathaway alongside Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger is known for his massive investment into BYD. Under his and Buffet’s leadership, Berkshire Hathaway invested in BYD over a decade ago, and since then, its holding has exploded in value. Berkshire has made over 600% gain on that single investment. In an interview with CNBC, Munger argued that the Chinese automaker is dominating its American counterpart, Tesla, in China.
“Tesla last year reduced its prices in China twice. BYD increased its prices. We are direct competitors. BYD is so much ahead of Tesla in China … it’s almost ridiculous,” Munger told CNBC, and he has a point. Thanks to its massive number of affordable offerings, BYD constitutes most of the Chinese EV market. However, other factors show that this competition is far less one-sided than first meets the eye.
First, despite its wide range of offerings, BYD consistently trades with Tesla’s vehicles for the top-selling vehicle month to month. Most recently, this has been seen in markets such as Wuhan, Suzhou, and Nanjing.
China NEV Jan insured units
✴️Wuhan
?BYD Song+ DM-i
✴️Suzhou
?Tesla Model 3
✴️Xi’an
?BYD Song+ DM-i
✴️Nanjing
?Tesla Model Y
(DONGCHEDI) https://t.co/J9JQZ3Dk3q pic.twitter.com/bKcIv3FuEm— Moneyball (@MoneybaII_R) February 16, 2023
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of these statistics is that Tesla’s far more premium vehicles, a typically less popular segment, are still keeping up with BYD’s more affordable offerings, including the BYD Song+ DMi.
As for the pricing mentioned by Munger, while it is true that Tesla likely lowered prices in order to become more price competitive with brands like BYD, NIO, and Xpeng, it seems as though this has resulted in a swing in popularity towards Tesla in the final quarter of last year.
Globally, BYD has been going toe to toe with Tesla’s sales numbers, which is certainly a remarkable accomplishment considering the brand has only recently begun to escape the Chinese market. In 2022, BYD sold a total of 911,140 pure electric vehicles to Tesla’s 1.31 million sales.
Despite the apparent rivalry between Tesla and BYD, both companies have made it clear who the real competitor is, the gas vehicle. And while Tesla has met its Chinese match with BYD, the remarkable success of rapid electrification in China has undoubtedly been a group effort. Hopefully, this ongoing rivalry will lead to an ever-better set of products and prices for consumers as they transition to electric vehicles in China and around the world.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!
News
Tesla is adding an interesting feature to its centerscreen in a coming update
In a recent dissection of coding, Tesla hacker green noticed that the company is bringing in screenshare with Software Update 2025.38

Tesla is adding an interesting feature to its center touchscreen in a coming update, according to a noted hacker.
In a recent dissection of coding, Tesla hacker green noticed that the company is bringing in screenshare with Software Update 2025.38. Details on the use case are slim, but he said the feature would export the car screen so it could be viewed remotely.
It would bring up a notification on the screen, along with a four-digit pin that would link the two together:
hm, have not noticed at first, but 2025.38 also brings in a “screenshare” service to export the car screen so you can view it remotely (details are unclear yet).
When you do it there’s going to be a notification on the screen. Secured by a super-duper static 4-digits pin…— green (@greentheonly) October 17, 2025
As previously mentioned, the use case is unclear, but there are some ideas. One of which is for remote support, which is something Apple has used to help resolve issues with its products.
Support staff and employees routinely tap into customers’ screens to help resolve issues, so this could be a way Tesla could also use it.
This seems especially relevant with Robotaxi, as the screen might be a crucial part of resolving customer complaints when there is no employee in the car.
Additionally, it seems as if it will not be exclusive to those owners who have newer vehicles that utilize the AMD chip. Intel will get support with the new feature as well, according to what green has noticed in the coding.
Finally, it could also be used with all sorts of content creation, especially as Full Self-Driving videos and what the vehicle sees in Driver Visualization.
As it is released, Tesla will likely release more information regarding what the screensharing mode will be used for.
For right now, many owners are wondering where it could actually work and what advantages it will offer for owners as well as the company itself.
Elon Musk
SpaceX posts Starship booster feat that’s so nutty, it doesn’t even look real
The Super Heavy booster’s feat was so impressive that the whole maneuver almost looked like it was AI-generated.

SpaceX has shared a video of a remarkable feat achieved by Starship’s Super Heavy booster during its 11th flight test.
The Super Heavy booster’s feat was so impressive that the whole maneuver, which was captured on video, almost looked like it was AI-generated.
Super Heavy’s picture perfect hover
As could be seen in the video shared by SpaceX, Starship’s Super Heavy booster, which is nearly 400 feet tall, smoothly returned to Earth and hovered above the Gulf of America for a few seconds before it went for its soft water landing. The booster’s picture-perfect maneuver before splashing down all but capped a near-flawless mission for Starship, which is about to enter its V3 era with Flight 12.
The booster’s balance and stability were so perfect that some users on X joked that the whole thing looked AI-generated. Considering the size of Super Heavy, as well as the fact that the booster was returning from space, the hovering display all but showed that SpaceX is dead serious about keeping its dominant lead in the spaceflight sector.
Starship V2’s curtain call
As noted in a Space.com report, Flight Test 11 achieved every major goal SpaceX had set for the mission, including deploying Starlink mass simulators, relighting Raptor engines in space, and executing a stable reentry for both the Starship Upper Stage and the Super Heavy booster. The feat also marked the second time a Super Heavy booster has been reflown, a milestone in SpaceX’s quest to make the entire Starship system fully reusable.
Starship’s V2 vehicle will now give way to the upgraded Starship V3, which is designed for faster turnaround and higher payload capacity. The Starship program is expected to pursue even more aggressive targets in the coming months as well, with Elon Musk stating on social media platform X that SpaceX will attempt a tower catch for Starship Upper Stage as early as spring 2026.
Elon Musk
After moving Tesla to Texas, Elon Musk is back in the Bay Area with Neuralink expansion
The news marks a noticeable step in Musk’s expanding presence in the Bay Area, despite the move of his biggest companies, Tesla and SpaceX, to Texas.

Recent reports have indicated that Elon Musk’s brain-implant startup, Neuralink, has leased a five-story, 144,000-square-foot building in South San Francisco. At the same time, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI is reportedly also looking around for a Bay Area office.
The news marks a noticeable step in Musk’s expanding presence in the Bay Area, despite the move of his biggest companies, Tesla and SpaceX, to Texas.
Neuralink’s Bay Area expansion
As noted in a report from the San Francisco Business Times, the property that Neuralink has leased is located at 499 Forbes Boulevard, and it was built by Aralon Properties before it was leased to cancer test developer InterVenn Biosciences. The site, however, had remained vacant since 2023 after InterVenn canceled its 10-year lease.
xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, is reportedly scouting for an even larger Bay Area office as well, as noted in a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. Combined, the two ventures could secure nearly 400,000 square feet of local workspace, a move seen as a symbolic return of sorts for Musk-led innovation to Silicon Valley.
Neuralink’s momentum
Founded in 2016, Neuralink develops brain-computer interfaces intended to help paralyzed patients control digital devices through thought. The company received U.S. regulatory approval in 2023 to begin human trials, with its first patient, quadriplegic Noland Arbaugh, making headlines for his stunning ability to control a computer cursor and play games using only his mind. Since receiving his implant, Arbaugh has stated that he now browses the web, plays video games like Mario Kart, studies neuroscience, and operates his smart home without lifting a finger.
Nauralink is only just getting started, with Elon Musk noting on X that the company is busy preparing its next product, Blindsight, for human trials. As per Musk, Neuralink is “aiming to restore (limited) sight to the completely blind next year,” an aggressive target for a potentially life-changing device.
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