China's BYD shares slide 9 pct in Hong Kong after H1 earnings drop

HONG KONG, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Shares of BYD Co Ltd were set to open 8.7 percent lower in Hong Kong on Monday after it posted a drop in first-half net profit as sluggish sales of gasoline cars offset a surge in its electric vehicle business. Stock of the Chinese carmaker, backed by U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett, were set to open at HK$44.90, the lowest since June 26, lagging a 0.3 percent fall in benchmark Hang Seng Index . BYD saw its first half net profit fell 15.5 percent to 360.7 million yuan ($58.64 million) from 426.9 million yuan a year earlier, dragged down by a 27 percent fall in vehicle sales volume. (Reporting by Donny Kwok; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree)