Electric Vehicle Giant BYD Group Scores Landmark Deal With Inter Milan

Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD Group has replaced Volvo as the global automotive partner of Serie A giants Inter Milan in a three-year deal. 

The partnership sees an ambitious, innovative Chinese automotive company collaborating with a major European football club, as they strive for excellence in their respective fields. 

Inter Milan has over 154 million fans in China making it one of the most followed European football clubs in the nation. Apart from a strong following in China, the Serie A has over 533 million fans worldwide, ranking second among global football clubs for fanbase growth over the past five years.  

Meanwhile, , BYD is cementing itself as a technological leader in New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), with over 4.2 million vehicles sold in 2024—a 41% increase compared to the previous year—and already over 2 million units sold in the first half of this year, showing double-digit growth over the same period last year.

Following the partnership, Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD, stated, “BYD’s name means Build Your Dreams, and I think this partnership is a dream for young people, for everybody with a passion for football. Inter Milan is well recognised for its energy, for never giving up, for always fighting for success and for its rapid growth into a global brand with a worldwide fanbase that extends beyond the San Siro stadium and Serie A.” 

“These are qualities that BYD shares as a fast-growing brand too – we’re a global green technology company with the dream to fight climate change and cool the earth by one degree. We’re working so hard to do this – we have 120,000 engineers working day and night, producing 45 patents every working day because they love their job and they want to win. This determination, this constant pushing for change and working so hard to make it happen, is something that is really shared between BYD and Inter.”

Giorgio Ricci, Chief Revenue Officer of FC Internazionale Milano, added,  “We are proud that the Group, with its brands BYD and DENZA, has chosen Inter as the first football club to partner with. It is a testament to the growing global appeal of our brand. This partnership opens up new opportunities for internationally-oriented activations and content capable of engaging fans and consumers around the world. Together, we aim to develop innovative projects that further strengthen the Group’s positioning as a benchmark in the global landscape of sustainable mobility.”

Apart from a 360-degree collaboration through its brands BYD and DENZA, the company will also provide 70 innovative e-vehicles equip the top management, technical staff, and first-team players. 

According to ASN data, BYD (6%, ~US$2.5m) is the 4^th largest spender for the electric vehicle category in the Asian sponsorship market since Q422, with an average quarterly investment of almost US$206k during this period. However, the brand has been rather muted with its spends since Q125. Historically, its deals tend to be in a plethora of sporting events in the US$200k range while the biggest deal it has had was worth US$1m with 3×3 Golden League.