Although BYD has long been China's largest auto brand, it was not until just this past September that it officially surpassed Shanghai Automotive Group (SAIC) to become China's largest auto group.

Prior to that, SAIC had been sitting on the throne as China's largest auto group, with a huge brand lineup that included SAIC Volkswagen, SAIC General Motors, SAIC Passenger Vehicle Branch, SAIC General Motors Wuling, SAIC Datsun, ZhiJi Automobile, SAIC ZhengDa, SAIC General Motors Wuling Indonesia, and MG Motor India, among others.

According to the latest data, SAIC's output in September was 336,732 units, down 24.33 percent year-on-year, while the cumulative output from January to September was 2,649,208 units, down 22.02 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, SAIC's sales in September were down 35.03 percent year-on-year at 313,260 units, while cumulative January-September sales were down 21.56 percent year-on-year at 2,649,333 units.

In contrast, BYD's performance in September was quite eye-catching. Its output reached 441,052 units, up 36.81 percent year-on-year, while cumulative output from January to September totaled 2,760,910 units, up 30.68 percent year-on-year.

In terms of sales, BYD also performed well, with September sales of 419,426 units, up 45.32 percent year-on-year, while January-September cumulative sales reached 2,747,875 units, up 32.13 percent year-on-year.

In summary, BYD has surpassed SAIC in terms of both monthly and yearly sales and production figures, and has successfully claimed the throne of China's largest automobile group.

This historic shift not only marks a major change in the competitive landscape of China's auto industry, but also signals that the market will pay more attention to technological innovation and brand strength in the future.