BYD's Australian sales more than triple to $2.43 billion as local growth accelerates

Financial results show the scale of BYD's Australian growth

BYD's latest financial results show the Chinese carmaker generated $2.43 billion in local sales in the year to 31 December, up from $688.8 million in the prior year, according to reporting by the Australian Financial Review. The figures helped drive profits up to $137.9 million from $38 million. As the Financial Review noted, the results indicate the scale of the company's local growth but do not by themselves establish vehicle unit sales. ¹

The financial reporting comes amid what the Financial Review describes as aggressive growth by Chinese carmakers in the Australian market, at a time when demand for electric vehicles is surging amid a sharp rise in petrol prices. ¹

Record deliveries and a climbing sales chart position

CarExpert reports that BYD delivered a record 18,881 vehicles in June 2026, finishing just 243 units behind Toyota and more than doubling the result of third-placed Ford. Based on sales data to the end of June, the company has sold almost 140,000 vehicles in Australia since entering the market just four years ago, and CarExpert notes it was on track to reach its publicly stated short-term goal of becoming a top-three auto brand this year. ²

The brand has finished second only to Toyota in each of the three months before CarExpert's late-July report, and its sales for the first half of 2026 were up 124.1 per cent to 52,335 units compared with the first half of 2025. CarExpert attributes the growth to stronger sales of existing models and the arrival of new lines such as the entry-level Atto 1 hatch and the flagship Sealion 8 large SUV. ²⁵

CarExpert's first-half figures show the Sealion 7 mid-size electric SUV is now comfortably BYD's best seller at 12,516 deliveries, up 233.2 per cent, followed by the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute (9493, down 8.9 per cent), with a close race for third between the Atto 2 small SUV (5401), the Sealion 8 (5380) and the Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV (5312). ⁵

The Conversation reports that in the first eight months of 2026 BYD sold more than 68,000 vehicles, making it Australia's second-highest-selling car brand behind Toyota, and that over the same period it sold more than 39,000 electric vehicles, overtaking Tesla to become the country's highest-selling EV brand. ⁴

A dealer network stretched to keep pace

Since launching locally in 2022, BYD's range has expanded from one model to 12, spanning compact hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs, a wagon and a dual-cab ute, and the company has established more than 100 sales and service locations across all eight states and territories, with dozens more due to open, CarExpert reports. Two further nameplates – the M9 people mover and the V9 commercial van – were set to launch by the end of 2026. ²

CarExpert acknowledges growing pains alongside that expansion: last year BYD resorted to stockpiling unsold cars at a New South Wales fun park, and more recently compensated affected buyers up to $3500 following a build-date debacle. However, BYD Australia chief product officer Sajid Hasan told CarExpert at the launch of the Seal 6 Touring that the dealer network was ready for a growing range and rising volumes. "It is a challenge, particularly the training element," he said, adding, "But, yeah, absolutely, they're ready for it. They're crying out for it." ²

BYD vice president Liu Xueliang told news.com.au that the company planned to significantly expand its after-sales and service network during the second half of 2026, saying customer support would be a major focus as its footprint grows. He recalled one prospective buyer who drove 200 kilometres just to reach a dealership. ⁷

Owning the supply chain: the Zhengzhou lands in Melbourne

News.com.au reports that the BYD Zhengzhou arrived in Melbourne carrying 4809 hybrid and electric vehicles, part of a plan to bring 30,000 vehicles to Australia over coming months. The carrier stretches almost 200 metres, spans 13 levels and can transport up to 7200 vehicles at a time; loading took 21 hours, roughly one vehicle every 15 seconds, and it crossed with a crew of just 22 people. ⁷

Unlike many brands that rely on third-party shipping, BYD owns the Zhengzhou outright, one of eight purpose-built vehicle carriers operated by the company, with even the captain on BYD's payroll, news.com.au reports. Mr Liu pointed to the company's vertically integrated model, in which BYD manufactures many of its own components, as one of its biggest strengths. Around 75 per cent of the vehicles on board were already allocated to customers before the ship reached Melbourne, many earmarked for nurses, teachers and emergency services personnel through the brand's priority delivery program. ⁷

The Conversation's analysis similarly highlights vertical integration – covering batteries, electric motors, power electronics, some semiconductors and even BYD's own ships – as one of four factors behind the brand's rise, alongside its broad plug-in hybrid range, its lower-cost lithium iron phosphate Blade Battery, and China's long-running support for its electric vehicle industry. ⁴

Leasing partnerships and market context

In late July 2026, BYD Australia and salary packaging provider Smart announced a strategic partnership covering BYD and its premium brand DENZA, giving Smart's network of more than 2.5 million employed Australians a pathway to a BYD or DENZA vehicle through a novated lease, including access to tax savings available under the government's electric car discount. The announcement, distributed via GlobeNewswire, cited official VFACTS data showing battery electric vehicles accounted for 23 per cent of the new vehicle market in June 2026, and put BYD's year-to-date sales at the end of June at 52,335 vehicles, more than double the same point last year. ³

GWM local chief operating officer John Kett told CarExpert that BYD's early success was built on launching with strong electrified products at a time when both EVs and plug-in hybrids were fringe benefits tax exempt, and on an agency model through Eagers Automotive that leveraged the novated lease base heavily. CarExpert notes BYD enlisted Eagers as its exclusive local retailer when it entered Australia in 2022, with that agreement changing in 2025 to allow other authorised dealers; the FBT exemption for plug-in hybrids ended in 2025. ⁶

CarExpert's first-half figures show GWM delivered 30,359 vehicles in the first half of 2026, up 20.5 per cent, leaving it seventh overall, while GWM's separate reporting by the same outlet shows it ended 2025 with 52,809 deliveries, marginally ahead of BYD's 52,415. BYD's 2025 growth of 156.2 per cent far outpaced GWM's 23.4 per cent. ⁶⁵

Mr Liu told news.com.au he believed Australia's transition towards electrification was still in its early stages, suggesting EV penetration could be "very high, possibly over 50 per cent" within the next five years. That is his forecast rather than a market consensus, and The Conversation separately reports EVs accounted for 25.8 per cent of total car sales in the first half of 2026. ⁷⁴