Electric vehicle giant BYD reported surging sales on Wednesday, surpassing global rival Tesla in quarterly revenue for the first time as its push into overseas markets advances.

The EV and battery giant is a leading player in recent efforts by Chinese automotive firms to expand overseas.

BYD posted operating revenue of 201.1 billion yuan, or US$28.2 billion, during the third quarter, a filing at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange showed, up 24 percent from the same period last year.

The Shenzhen-based firm's quarterly revenue figure for the first time exceeded that of American EV powerhouse Tesla, which last week posted US$25.2 billion in third-quarter revenue.

The firm's net profit during the period came in at 11.6 billion yuan, the filing showed, up 11.5 percent from the third quarter last year.

BYD – which adopts the English slogan "Build Your Dreams" – is the most prominent EV manufacturer in China, the world's largest automotive market.

Originally specialising in the design and production of batteries, BYD diversified into the automotive industry in 2003. (AFP)