Australia is already residence to extra automotive manufacturers than some other nation, making it one of many world’s best auto markets in addition to one of many smallest, however Chinese language big BYD says value-focused native shoppers will profit from much more of them as model loyalty disappears amid the price of residing disaster.
“Australia has essentially the most manufacturers out there in any market, however I feel what we’re seeing is a shift in understanding as nicely,” BYD Chief Advertising Officer (CMO) Kate Hornstein instructed CarExpert.
“The partitions are coming all the way down to new manufacturers. I feel model loyalty is considerably disappearing, and I feel Australians are very pushed, particularly in immediately’s local weather, by worth and what their very own private household wants.
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“By having the ability to give them selection and extra choices, it’s solely going to be higher for the client.”
BYD launched in Australia in 2022 and has since introduced it’ll convey its Dence luxurious model – which is able to play an analogous function for BYD as Lexus does for Toyota – to showrooms earlier than the top of 2025.
Whereas it hasn’t introduced any others, BYD additionally has its Yangwang and Fangchengbao manufacturers in China, and fashions from every are on the playing cards for Australia – though they’ll probably be bought as BYD or Denza fashions.
Different Chinese language automakers have additionally introduced a number of manufacturers to Australia, together with Chery which lately launched its Omoda Jaecoo model and probably has extra to return.
The primary Geely-badged mannequin – the EX5 mid-size electrical SUV – went on sale right here in March 2025, including to different Geely owned or managed model already current regionally together with Volvo, Polestar, Sensible and Zeekr.
Whereas many extra are coming right here, Australia at the moment has about 70 auto manufacturers, regardless of the exit of a number of in comparatively current years together with Holden, Daewoo, Daihatsu, Dodge, Chrysler, CitroenOpel and Alpine, which is able to make a comeback in 2026 with the Alpine A390 hatch.
Within the house of lower than 5 years, Australia may have added a few dozen new Chinese language manufacturers, offering extra selection for shoppers than ever, but in addition forcing every automaker to struggle over a comparatively small gross sales pie – 1.2 million complete gross sales throughout all manufacturers in 2024.
That compares to roughly 30 million new automobile gross sales yearly in China, 16 million within the US, 2.8 million in Germany and 1.95 million within the UK.
Chinese language automaker MG turned a top-10 promoting model for the primary time Down Beneath in July 2021. It’s now firmly entrenched right here and can launch its IM Motors premium electrical model right here later this 12 months.
IM Motors is to MG what Denza is to BYD, which beforehand said plans to eclipse native market chief Toyota by 2027. Ms Hornstein says Denza shall be one other different to luxurious marques primarily from Germany.
“After we take a look at Denza, the (luxurious automotive) phase is basically populated by European manufacturers and I feel once we take a look at value of possession, preliminary outlay, value of prolonged possession, it’s extremely costly for Australians simply given the place we’re geographically,” she mentioned.
“So I feel what this supplies is an alternative choice for patrons to discover when they’re out there for a automotive.”
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