GWM's 18th anniversary campaign puts China's long Australian history in focus

GWM's anniversary campaign looks back 18 years

GWM is putting its Australian history in the spotlight with an 18th anniversary campaign and October offers across its SUV and ute range, prompting CarExpert to observe how easy it is to treat all Chinese car brands as a single group of newcomers. In fact, several have been selling vehicles here since the early 2010s, some have left and returned, several have changed distributors, and only the latest arrivals are approaching their first Australian anniversaries. ¹

Great Wall vehicles launched in Australia on June 24, 2009 through independent distributor Ateco, meaning the brand has now completed 17 years since that original launch and is in its 18th year. The original Great Wall SA220 and V240 utes were the entry points, with factory-controlled distribution following in 2016 after the original operation ran into a distribution dispute that halted new imports during the Ateco era. ¹

Today, GWM is a much larger operation, finishing September as Australia's sixth best-selling vehicle brand according to CarExpert. Haval carries its own history within the family, launched in October 2015 with the H2, H8 and H9, while the first Tank and Ora models reached Australian customers in 2023. Tank and Ora are treated as GWM sub-brands locally even though all three are full-fledged brands in their home market. ¹

Chery, Geely and MG are returnees, not first-timers

CarExpert's anniversary review details how several brands now seen as new are actually on their second or third Australian stint. Chery's current operation began in March 2023 with the Omoda 5 under factory-owned distribution, but its first Australian launch came in 2011 through Ateco, with the original business winding down in 2015 although residual registrations continued through 2018. That gives Chery a 15-year Australian history but only three years in its current incarnation, during which it has become a substantial top 10 player. ¹

Geely's first attempt was much more geographically limited: the Geely MK went on sale in Western Australia in January 2011 through John Hughes' Chinese Automotive Distributors, an operation that ran from 2011 to 2014. The factory-backed national launch of the Geely EX5 in March 2025 was therefore a return, and CarExpert notes Geely is now the 13th best-selling brand in 2026 with just one year of history in its current national operation. ¹

MG's modern Chinese-owned era dates to April 2013, when the MG 6 was introduced through Longwell Motor, with SAIC's factory-run reboot following in October 2016. LDV shows the same pattern: the V80 went on sale through WMC in January 2013 after a proposed 2012 introduction, and Ateco took over in July 2014. Chasing Cars' brand guide also lists Chery's first appearance as 2011 and MG's modern return to 2013, consistent with CarExpert's timeline. ¹⁵

Utes, taxis and false starts before the mainstream breakthroughs

The ute market has seen more than one false start. Foton's original local ute operation began in 2012 and passed through several distribution arrangements before ending in 2019, with the new Tunland range reaching dealerships through Inchcape in October 2025. JAC trucks had been represented in Australia by 2012, and its T9 ute arrived through LTS Auto in 2024. Earlier entrants ZX Auto (GrandTiger, 2012–2015) and JMC (Vigus, 2015–2018) never established a lasting retail presence, though a JMC return has been announced. ¹

BYD was also here before its breakthrough. Chasing Cars records BYD's first appearance in Australia as 2022, but CarExpert details that limited retail offerings of the e6 and T3 preceded the Atto 3 in 2021, and e6 taxis were already operating in Sydney by October 2020. The Atto 3's September 2022 delivery start established BYD's mass-market presence, and the company took over Australian distribution from EVDirect on July 1, 2025. ¹⁵

The latest wave: EV brands, luxury offshoots and commercial names

The newest group has genuinely short local histories. Zeekr launched in October 2024 with the X, Leapmotor followed in November with the C10, and Deepal opened orders for the S07 through Inchcape that year. Xpeng began retailing in 2024 through TrueEV before moving to factory-run distribution this year, a transition that saw Xpeng and TrueEV take their dispute to the Federal Court before the matter was dismissed in August 2026, as reported by CarExpert. ¹

Chery-owned Jaecoo launched the J7 in May 2025, with the Omoda 9 following in August through the combined Omoda Jaecoo operation, which Chery treats as one brand selling separate Omoda- and Jaecoo-badged vehicles. MG introduced its premium IM offering in 2025 with the IM5 and IM6 sold through MG dealerships under the IM Presented By MG Motor banner, while Geely commercial-vehicle brand Farizon launched in April 2025 through Jameel Motors. ¹⁵

GAC's Australian launch followed in November 2025 with the Aion V, Emzoom and M8, and BYD-owned Denza opened its initial dealerships in December 2025, with B5 customer deliveries from January 2026 and B8 deliveries in February. Forthing introduced the Taikon 5 through Ateco in June 2026. European-origin brands add another wrinkle: Smart was sold here from 2003 to 2015 before returning in September 2024 with its electric range, while Polestar's standalone operation launched in November 2021. ¹

Two in five new cars are now built in China

The scale of the shift is now measurable. GoAuto reports that around 95 passenger cars, SUVs, utilities, vans and people movers currently sold in Australia are built in China, including models wearing Tesla, Kia, Hyundai, Mazda, Mini, Cupra, Volvo, Polestar and Lotus badges. In August 2026, China supplied 43,882 vehicles, up 88.9 per cent year-on-year and equivalent to about 40.3 per cent of all new vehicles sold, compared with 23,225 deliveries representing 22.4 per cent just 12 months earlier. ⁶⁷

GoAuto notes Chinese marques alone accounted for around 31.5 per cent of August volume, and the China-built Tesla Model Y topped the Australian market with 6414 deliveries, with BYD Sealion 7, Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, Geely EX5, GWM Haval Jolion and Zeekr 7X filling positions six through 10. Boss Hunting, in its earlier industry feature, recorded more than 176,000 Chinese-made cars sold in Australia last year across both native Chinese brands and foreign marques. ⁶⁷³⁴

BYD's rise is the standout example. The Conversation reports BYD sold more than 68,000 vehicles in the first eight months of 2026, making it Australia's second-highest-selling brand behind Toyota, with just 243 sales separating the two in June, and more than 39,000 EVs sold to overtake Tesla as Australia's highest-selling electric vehicle brand. Globally, BYD grew from about 190,000 battery or hybrid vehicles in 2020 to 4.6 million in 2025, with 2.26 million fully electric. ⁸

History suggests these transitions take longer, but China is compressing them

GoAuto draws the historical parallel that Australia has seen newcomer brands before. Toyota began official Australian operations in 1959 and started local assembly in 1963, but did not become the overall market leader until 1991, more than three decades after arriving. Hyundai entered with the Excel in 1986 and reached 500,000 Australian sales in 2004, one million in 2012, and surpassed 100,000 annual sales in 2014. GoAuto's analysis is that China's rise appears to be compressing that evolution substantially, supported by model proliferation and an early advantage in electrified powertrains. ⁶⁷

The competitive pressure is acknowledged by incumbents. Speaking to Boss Hunting, Toyota Australia's vice president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley said Toyota 'acknowledges the intensifying competition, especially right now from Chinese' brands, while noting its market share remains above 19 per cent. GWM chief operating officer John Kett told Boss Hunting that 'brands like ours need to run fast and firmly establish a stake in this marketplace that delivers real scale'. ³⁴

The product consequences are already visible. CarExpert's recent spec battle found the GWM Ora 5, which arrived in showrooms in June 2026 at $33,990 to $36,990 drive-away, outmatching the Hyundai Kona Electric on power, range and price by a wide margin, though the Hyundai holds a four-star ANCAP rating while the Ora 5 remains unrated. CarExpert also credited GWM with the longest local presence of any Chinese auto brand, dating to mid-2009. ²