Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD has confirmed that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has fully divested its stake in the company, describing the move as a routine investment decision rather than a sign of lost confidence.
In a Weibo post, BYD’s public relations executive Li Yunfei noted that Berkshire began gradually reducing its position in August 2022. By June 2024, its holding had fallen below 5%. “Investing in stocks involves both buying and selling, which is completely normal,” Li wrote. He thanked Buffett and the late Charlie Munger for their long-term support since 2008.
Echoing the message on CNBC Europe, BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li emphasized that Buffett and Munger “loved” BYD and its management, but added that “they are investors, so naturally buying and selling is their business.”
Alfredo Altavilla, a special adviser to BYD, told Reuters that Buffett “made a profit of 20 times the capital he invested. He did very well to do what he did,” while stressing that the sale reflected Berkshire’s strategy of buying, holding, and selling when appropriate.
Market reaction
Despite BYD’s calm response, investors reacted sharply. Shares of the company fell more than 6% in Hong Kong this week, though they remain up nearly 20% year-to-date.
The drop comes as the company faces headwinds: BYD cut its 2025 sales target by 16%, lowered vehicle prices through year-end, slowed production, and in August reported its first quarterly profit decline in more than three years.
Berkshire grows Japanese stakes
While Berkshire has exited its long-term Chinese investment, it continues to expand its presence in Japan’s trading houses.
Mitsui announced this week that Berkshire now holds 10% or more of its voting rights following additional share purchases. As of March 17, Berkshire reported a 9.8% stake, or 285.4 million shares, worth about $7.3 billion at today’s close.
Separately, Mitsubishi disclosed that Berkshire raised its stake to 10.2% from 9.7% as of late August. Market watchers expect Berkshire’s positions in its other Japanese holdings—Itochu, Marubeni, and Sumitomo—to have also crossed the 10% threshold.
Berkshire’s portfolio snapshot
Berkshire’s largest publicly disclosed holdings in the U.S. and Japan are based on its June 30, 2025, 13F filing, with subsequent disclosures from Japanese companies. Market values are calculated using today’s closing prices and converted from yen to U.S. dollars.
