Australian car market growth driven by Chinese brands

The Australian new-car market experienced a marginal growth of 1.8% in September 2026, a figure largely driven by the rapid expansion of Chinese automotive brands. Data analysis indicates that without the significant sales contributions from Geely and BYD, the overall market would have entered a contraction, seeing a year-on-year decline of 5.2%.

In terms of individual models, the Ford Ranger reclaimed the top spot as the best-selling vehicle with 5,062 deliveries. Other top performers included the Toyota RAV4 in second place, followed by the Tesla Model Y and Toyota HiLux. Notably, the BYD Sealion 7 emerged as a strong competitor, securing fifth place with 2,687 deliveries.

The shift toward electrification is accelerating, with electric vehicles (EVs) capturing a 15.8% monthly market share. When including plug-in hybrids and hybrids, the new energy market share is approaching 50%. This transition is being influenced by the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which imposes penalties for high CO2 emissions while allowing manufacturers of low-emission vehicles to earn and trade carbon credits.

Chinese manufacturers are playing a pivotal role in this landscape. Geely saw explosive year-on-year growth of 870.3%, while BYD has risen to become the second-largest brand in the country, trailing only Toyota.