With a string of achievements that have been rocking legacy car manufacturers the past few years, BYD is adding another feather in its cap as executive vice president Stella Li has just been voted the 2025 World Car Person of the Year. The latter is part of the World Car Awards, which is now in its 21st year.

Praised for her “exceptional work, vision, and drive,” Li was voted by 96 members of the media from 30 countries. The World Car of the Year jurors chose Li from a short list of candidates in the global automotive industry who have demonstrated exceptional performance or made significant contributions to it. Past World Car Persons of the Year include Formula 1 legend Adrian Newey and Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda.

Under Li’s guidance, BYD reached 4.27 million unit sales in 2024, and recently hit its 10 millionth new energy vehicle milestone. The company is also expanding in Latin America and Europe, with factories set to open in Brazil and Hungary. It currently employs over a million people worldwide, with a veritable army of 110,000 in its research-and-development staff.

BYD’s investments in R&D over the years have led it to introduce the world’s fastest electric motor in mass production (23,000rpm) as seen in the new Sealion 7, and the DM-i plug-in hybrid technology. Not bad for a company that was founded only 30 years ago as a battery manufacturer in Shenzhen, China.

According to Jens Meiners, chair emeritus of the World Car Awards: “Stella Li has impressed the World Car judging panel with her exceptional work as a key figure in BYD’s continued global growth. Her vision and drive has seen BYD become a major player on the automotive stage in a short space of time, and her influence is not only felt within BYD, but across the automotive industry as a whole.”

Li will be formally awarded at the World Car of the Year Awards, which will be held this April at the New York International Auto Show. In addition, the BYD Seagull might also be awarded as the World Urban Car of the Year, though the final vote has not been cast.

No overnight success, Stella’s career at BYD goes all the way back to 1997 when she opened its office in Hong Kong. Two years later, she led the opening of BYD’s first Europe headquarters in Rotterdam.

She also led the introduction of BYD in the United States and Latin America, overseeing the opening of their electric bus, truck and energy module factories in California in 2013. Before BYD became known for its electrified vehicles, it gained a reputation for its commercial vehicles thanks to Stella’s leadership.

Stella was recognized by Forbes China as one of its “Most Powerful Women,” as well as making it to the “60 Outstanding Chinese in North America” and “Women in Tech” lists. In 2018, she was recognized as one of the “Women of the Year” in California, and also won the Project Sunshine “Business Leader” Award. In 2017, the US-China Policy Foundation awarded her the US-China Business Leadership Award.