Chinese newcomers surge to 54,465 deliveries as established brands shed sales

Newcomers' combined deliveries up more than 700 per cent

Six brands introduced to or relaunched in Australia – Geely, Omoda Jaecoo, Zeekr, Leapmotor, Deepal and Foton – increased their combined deliveries from 6,773 to 54,465 vehicles between the first nine months of 2025 and the corresponding period of 2026, GoAuto reports. Focusing on marques for which comparative year-on-year figures are available, GoAuto calculates growth of 704.1 per cent, with the group's share of the Australian new-vehicle market rising from approximately 0.72 per cent to 5.69 per cent within 12 months. ¹

In volume terms, the six manufacturers added 47,692 new vehicles to Australian roads, a figure GoAuto describes as significant given the national new-vehicle market expanded by approximately 18,700 units over the same period. Combined VFACTS and Electric Vehicle Council figures cited by GoAuto show approximately 957,700 new vehicles were sold nationally during the first nine months of 2026, an increase of two per cent, meaning the modest overall growth disguises a substantial redistribution of sales between competing manufacturers. ¹

Geely, Zeekr and Omoda Jaecoo drive the surge

Geely recorded the largest volume improvement among the cohort, increasing from 3,197 deliveries to 23,632, a rise of 639.2 per cent, according to GoAuto. The publication reports that Geely's year-to-date market share now stands at 2.47 per cent, with the EX5 electric SUV, Starray EM-i plug-in hybrid and newer EX2 electric hatchback contributing to the expansion. ¹

Zeekr posted the largest percentage increase, with sales rising from 730 to 12,120 vehicles, an improvement of 1,560.3 per cent, GoAuto reports. The Geely-owned premium electric brand has benefited particularly from the 7X medium SUV, which GoAuto says has quickly become one of Australia's strongest-selling battery-electric models. Omoda Jaecoo followed with 15,456 deliveries against 2,144 a year earlier, growth of 620.9 per cent that GoAuto attributes in part to expanding SUV range and demand for its hybrid and plug-in hybrid offerings. Combined, the three fastest-growing brands accounted for 51,208 deliveries to the end of September. ¹

The remainder of the focus cohort grew more modestly, GoAuto reports: Leapmotor increased from 452 to 1,168 deliveries and Deepal from 250 to 924, while Foton recorded 1,165 deliveries under a new distribution arrangement after having no comparable sales in the previous period. GoAuto's wider tally, including newer arrivals Denza (3,339), GAC (3,175), XPeng (1,183) and Farizon (298), reaches 62,460 deliveries, or 6.52 per cent of the national market, based on figures supplied to GoAuto by the FCAI, EVC and AADA. ¹

Established brands shed more sales than the newcomers gained

By contrast, GoAuto reports that several of Australia's longest-established brands are experiencing substantial declines. Toyota recorded 28,865 fewer deliveries year on year, a fall of 15.9 per cent, while Mazda and Ford declined 16.2 and 13.8 per cent respectively. Together, the three manufacturers recorded 50,019 fewer sales, exceeding the 47,692 additional deliveries achieved by the six recently introduced Chinese marques. ¹

GoAuto cautions that the figures do not demonstrate a direct transfer of customers between manufacturers, but says they highlight the extent to which a relatively stable market is being redistributed among an expanding field of competitors. A senior executive at an established automotive brand, speaking to GoAuto on condition of anonymity, said the newcomers were gaining share despite relatively stable overall sales and that questions remain about the long-term sustainability of an increasingly crowded market, particularly on dealer profitability, aftersales support and customer retention. ¹

Electrification underpins the newcomers' product mix

GoAuto attributes part of the newcomers' success to the increasingly diverse range of battery electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles they offer alongside conventional powertrains. The broader market context supports that picture: August VFACTS data published by carsales showed 108,760 new vehicles delivered that month, up 4.9 per cent, with battery electrics alone up 170.7 per cent to 27,078 deliveries, or 24.9 per cent of the monthly market – ahead of petrol (23.7 per cent) and diesel (21.7 per cent). Electrified vehicles of all types crossed the halfway mark at 51.8 per cent of August deliveries, against 30.2 per cent in August 2025. ¹²

The August brand table published by carsales shows Geely entering the top 10 for the first time, with 4,504 deliveries in tenth position against 401 a year earlier, pushing Chery to eleventh. Zeekr added 2,120 and Omoda Jaecoo 2,203 vehicles in August, both outside the top 10 but well clear of where they sat in August 2025, while newer arrivals GAC (1,066), XPeng (511) and Denza (261) recorded their strongest months so far. Five of the top 10 models that month came from Chinese manufacturers, a point the FCAI called out in its release, with the Zeekr 7X entering the top 10 at tenth on 1,748 deliveries and the Geely EX5 lifting 385.5 per cent to 1,947, according to the carsales report. ²

Battery-electric demand keeps building through September

Electric Vehicle Council data reported by CarSauce shows Tesla and Polestar – the only brands in the council's monthly series – delivered 5,854 battery-electric vehicles in September 2026, up 19.5 per cent on the same month last year, and 43,386 deliveries across the first nine months of 2026, up 76.9 per cent from 24,521. CarSauce notes the series covers only those two brands and does not represent the full Australian new-vehicle or EV market, so it sits alongside rather than duplicates the VFACTS-based newcomer figures. ³

Within the EVC dataset reported by CarSauce, the Tesla Model Y remained dominant with 4,476 September deliveries, about 76 per cent of all Tesla and Polestar vehicles recorded for the month, while the Model 3 rose 60.1 per cent to 1,178. Year to date, Tesla deliveries rose 84.1 per cent to 41,705 and Polestar fell 10.0 per cent to 1,681, per CarSauce's report of the council data. Every state and territory recorded year-to-date growth, with the Northern Territory posting the largest percentage increase at 113.3 per cent from a smaller base. ³

A crowded market and open questions on sustainability

GoAuto notes that more than a dozen Chinese manufacturers have now entered or re-entered the Australian market, in which the number of brands competing over 1.2 million sales represented an already crowded environment, following the earlier growth of BYD, GWM, Chery and MG. Commercial vehicle specialists Farizon and Foton have expanded the Chinese presence, Forthing is among the latest arrivals, and GoAuto reports further brands are preparing to follow, while IM Motors deliveries remain separately unverified in its tally. ¹

Whether all these brands can maintain their growth trajectories remains uncertain, GoAuto writes: early demand, competitive pricing and new-model introductions can generate rapid sales increases, but longer-term success will depend on maintaining product competitiveness, building sustainable retail networks and providing reliable ownership support. GoAuto also flags new challenges around dealer profitability, infrastructure investment, aftersales support and internal competition among multi-brand operators such as Geely and Chery, each of which now runs several distinct marques across mainstream and premium segments in Australia. ¹