Auto industry's China-driven evolution validates Warren Buffett's wariness

As BYD surges and old guard falters, not even the 'Oracle' knows what's next

The breakup of the Honda and Nissan merger talks, which came amid an intensifying struggle with Chinese EV makers, illustrated the precarity that has made legendary investor Warren Buffett shy away from the auto industry. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Mizuho Miyazaki and Shinya Sawai)

KENJI KAWASE

February 16, 2025 14:00 JST

HONG KONG -- Warren Buffett's legendary stock-picking prowess has led his investment vehicle Berkshire Hathaway to long-term gains on the likes of Coca-Cola, Apple, and more recently Japanese trading houses. But the "Oracle of Omaha" has shied away from the automobile sector, with the rare exceptions of General Motors and Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD.

"I would certainly not know how to pick the winners in an industry like that," he said at Berkshire's annual general meeting in Nebraska last May. The company's latest stockholding list, released Friday, showed no automobile shares as of the end of December.