On January 12, 2026, the Australian automotive market experienced a historic turning point. According to the latest data released by the Australian Federation of Automobile Manufacturers, the sales of Chinese made cars in Australia will exceed 250000 units for the first time in 2025, leading the major source countries with a growth rate of over 31%, and surpassing Thailand with a market share of 20.4%, becoming the second largest source country of new cars in Australia for the first time. This change marks a breakthrough for Chinese car brands in mainstream overseas markets.

250000 vehicles achieve a new milestone

According to data, a total of 1.209 million new cars will be sold in Australia in 2025, with Chinese car sales reaching 252000 units, a year-on-year growth rate of over 31%. The market share will significantly increase from about 15% in 2024 to 20.4%. This sales performance not only set a new historical high for Chinese cars in the Australian market, but also directly led to a squeeze on the market share of traditional strong car source countries - Thailand and Japan. Their sales in Australia decreased by 8.2% and 5.3% year-on-year, respectively, and their market share dropped to 20.1% and 28.9%, respectively.

Multiple car companies have entered the mainstream camp

The collective breakthrough of Chinese automobile brands is the key to achieving this result. In 2025, three Chinese brands, Great Wall Motors, BYD, and MG, will simultaneously rank among the top ten best-selling brands in Australia, while Chery will also be ranked 13th, widely expected by foreign media to enter the top ten by 2026. Among them, BYD's performance is particularly impressive, with its annual sales increasing by over 150% year-on-year, successfully entering the top ten of the Australian brand sales list. In terms of specific vehicle models, BYD's newly launched Atto 2 pure electric vehicle quickly climbed to the top of the Australian electric vehicle sales chart after its launch, demonstrating strong product competitiveness.

New energy vehicle models lead market transformation

The success of Chinese cars in the Australian market is closely related to their leading advantage in the field of new energy technology. In 2025, the sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles in the Australian market will increase by 130.9% year-on-year, and Chinese brands are the main drivers of this growth. The launch of BYD Shark plug-in hybrid pickup truck and Great Wall Cannon Alpha hybrid pickup truck directly challenged the dominant position of traditional fuel pickup trucks such as Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, and promoted the popularization of electric vehicles in the field of utility vehicles. At the same time, among the top ten electric vehicle models sold in Australia, except for two, the rest are dominated by brands produced in China or led by Chinese enterprises. The entry of new brands such as Deep Blue, Zero Run, and Extreme Krypton further enriches the product matrix of China's new energy vehicles. Keywords: Macro News Network, Macro Latest News

This structural change indicates that China's automotive industry is transitioning from a simple cost advantage to a technology driven one, and has successfully opened the door to a mature automotive market through precise product strategies, injecting new momentum into the evolution of the global automotive industry landscape. (This article is from the official website of Jian Dao www.seetao.com. Reproduction without permission is prohibited, otherwise it will be prosecuted. Please indicate Jian Dao website+original link when reprinting.) Jian Dao website macro column editor/Gao Xue