BYD brand ambassador Wang Leehom uses fee to buy shares

Use of celebrities to promote vehicles in China part of a wider industry shift

Pop star Wang Leehom takes the stage at the unveiling of new models under BYD's luxury Denza brand. (Photo by Shizuka Tanabe)

GUANGZHOU -- A popular singer who was hired as the face of a BYD brand has become a shareholder of the company, in a case that is garnering attention as a new advertising method in China's increasingly cutthroat auto market.