Leapmotor Australia says it isn't being flooded with unwanted stock from China

Stock control, not dumping

Leapmotor Australia has rejected any suggestion its Chinese head office is unloading unwanted vehicles on the local market, saying supply here is governed by local demand forecasting rather than imposed quotas. "This is one of the great things of being part of Stellantis... there is a very rigid process in place to manage our stock and inventory," Leapmotor Australia boss Andy Hoang told CarExpert. ¹

"We're not just dictated by our head office that says, 'You need to sell a thousand cars, we'll just ship you a thousand cars, and you guys work it out'," Mr Hoang told CarExpert. He said the monthly ordering cycle runs through a rigorous process asking what the business thinks it can sell, what it needs and how much stock it wants to hold, leaving Leapmotor "in really good shape" on supply. ¹

Mr Hoang said current Australian stock covers the C10 and B10, the two models on sale here, while the newly launching B05 hatch is short on supply because it is so new and the B03X light SUV has not yet arrived. "All those products go through the same process where we put our orders in for what we want – it's not the other way around," he told CarExpert. ¹

CarExpert notes this contrasts with other Chinese brands, reporting BYD has been documented as holding so much stock on the ground it has had to find unconventional storage locations such as theme park parking lots. The Australian Financial Review separately reported in September 2026 that BYD had slashed vehicle prices by 25 per cent despite Beijing's warnings to avoid a price war, including cutting the Atto 1 by nearly $7000 to $19,900 – a move BYD Australia chief operating officer Stephen Collins said was a campaign to boost sales of that model rather than a price war. ¹⁴

A crowded field, with casualties expected

In a separate interview with Chasing Cars, Mr Hoang offered a blunt personal view of the competitive landscape: "This is my personal belief. I don't think all Chinese brands will survive … the volume is just not there." Chasing Cars reports many industry observers share that view and warn buyers of a failed brand could face sub-par service, parts and warranty coverage, along with poor resale values. ²

Mr Hoang also flagged the pitfalls of heavy discounting in a cut-throat market, telling Chasing Cars: "Every time you take a price cut, you're killing the residual of all the customers that have already been loyal to you." He argued the risks extend beyond price to the whole ownership life cycle, including the dealer network, parts availability and technical support, with Chasing Cars noting anecdotal reports that some Chinese brands have struggled to source parts for warranty claims and accident damage, leaving customer cars off the road for long periods. ²

Slow growth by design

Leapmotor launched in Australia in November 2024 with the C10 mid-size SUV, followed by the smaller B10 in 2025. According to CarExpert, it has delivered 1168 vehicles locally year-to-date, up 158.4 per cent but well behind Geely on 23,632. Chasing Cars reports the brand found 1168 buyers this year, up from 452 last year, when BYD sold more than 8000 cars. ¹²

That modest pace is deliberate, Mr Hoang told Chasing Cars: "We are growing, but would we like to grow faster and more? Of course. But it has to be sustainable. Our investment here in Australia is for the long term." He said the brand is focused on growing its local product line-up, network and awareness rather than chasing sales for their own sake, adding that growing too quickly without foundations in place carries danger. ²

Globally, the trajectory is steeper. CarExpert reports Leapmotor had delivered 666,539 vehicles worldwide to the end of September this year, up 68.5 per cent, with only around 17 per cent of its sales outside China, where its vehicles are distributed by Leapmotor International, a joint venture with Stellantis. Chasing Cars notes the brand sold a little more than 1000 vehicles globally in 2019 and is on track to sell one million this year, and Mr Hoang pointed to Leapmotor being among the fastest-growing brands in both China and Europe. ¹²

Line-up doubles, but selectively

Leapmotor's Australian line-up will double from two to four models by the end of this year with the addition of the B05 hatch and B03X compact SUV, which CarExpert reports is due in showrooms in November. Mr Hoang remains committed to the six-vehicle, three-year launch pledge made at the 2024 launch, telling Chasing Cars he sees opportunities beyond that in a seven-seat SUV, a sporty version of the B05 with a "halo" effect on the rest of the brand, and a ute: "We know there's a ute segment out there that we've been talking to China about." ¹²

Selectivity cuts both ways. CarExpert reports Leapmotor skipped the T03 micro-car for Australia despite exporting it to Europe and the UK, and has no immediate plans to bring the large D99 people mover here, even as BYD, Denza, GAC and Xpeng have all introduced people movers locally. Mr Hoang told CarExpert the D99 is "probably lower on the priority list" than other vehicles but "never say never". ¹

Dealer network build-out

Leapmotor has grown its local dealer network from 16 to 25 outlets over the past 12 months, according to Chasing Cars. Mr Hoang said the next long-term goal is between 35 and 40 outlets carrying all models, a balance he believes between expanding quickly and ensuring the customer experience at every sales and service point. "We know that if we get the right product line up here, the sales and customers will come," he told Chasing Cars. ²

A crowded Chinese contingent

Leapmotor's argument lands in a market where Chinese brands have expanded aggressively: CarExpert notes MG launched five new models in Australia in 2025 to reach 14 models, up from just three in 2022, while BYD has launched five new models over the past 12 months for a 12-model line-up, up from just one in 2022. CarExpert also reports Chinese-made vehicles accounted for 33.3 per cent of all new-vehicle sales so far this year, making China the largest source country for new vehicles in Australia. ¹⁵

Chinese manufacturing is also no longer the preserve of Chinese brands. CarExpert reports Ford Australia has introduced its first Chinese-made models, the Transit City van and Bronco Basecamp SUV from joint-venture partner JMC, while Tesla's Model Y and Model 3 are built in Shanghai, Polestar sources its local models from China, Hyundai has introduced the Elexio and Mazda has added the China-built 6e. Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris told CarExpert established brands like Ford "have really no choice if they want to remain competitive" but to look at producing vehicles in China. ⁵

Competition among the newer entrants remains fierce in both directions. At XPeng's Australian relaunch in Melbourne, its president and vice chairman Brian Gu urged Australian buyers to "be careful" with established brands in decline, telling News Corp that trajectory matters more than absolute numbers: "If a company is going from 20 per cent to 5 per cent, you've got to be careful... But if a company is going from zero to five per cent that's actually a different matter." ³