BYD’s Stella Li Crowned 2025 World Car Person of the Year

Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD, has won the coveted 2025 World Car Person of the Year. This is the first time a woman has been given this award and is also the first World Car Award for a Chinese manufacturer. 

Li has been with BYD since 1996 and has been a key figure in the growth of the brand since then. In 2024, Li helped BYD achieve new heights with her strategic planning and global expansion with multiple new models launched across the globe. One of them is the BYD Sealion 7, which made its debut in India at the Auto Expo 2025, and will soon launch in the country too. The Sealion 7 features a new high-speed electric motor, capable of reaching 23,000 rpm, outpacing modern Formula 1 engines by a big margin. 

On winning this coveted award, Li said, “I am incredibly honoured to receive this prestigious award. This award is the result of the 110,000 R&D engineers at BYD who continue to provide us with the latest technological advances that are reflected in our electric vehicles and Super Hybrid DM-i technology. I am glad to play my part in putting these sustainable technologies in the hands of as many consumers as possible around the world.”

Li wasn’t alone in the race to become the World Car Person of the Year. The others in contention included Ralph Gilles, Chief Design Officer, Stellantis, and Simon Humphries, Chief Branding Officer, Toyota. Almost 100 jurors from around the globe gave the maximum votes to BYD’s second-in-command, Stella Li. The previous three winners of this award include Adrian Newey, ex CTO, Red Bull Racing, SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai & Genesis Global Design Centre, Hyundai, Akio Toyoda, President and CEO, Toyota, and more.