Japanese Media: China's Automotive Exports Surpass Japan to Top Australian Market

As reported by Japan's Toyo Keizai on April 14: In the first two months of this year, total sales of Chinese-made vehicles exceeded those of Japanese-made cars, securing the top position.

According to data from Australia's Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), in February 2026, 22,300 Chinese-made vehicles were sold in Australia, capturing approximately 25% of the market share. Japanese-made vehicles, which had led since 1998, dropped to second place with a total of 21,600 units sold. Thailand came in third, with 19,400 units—mostly cars produced by Japanese manufacturers in Thailand.

Australia’s annual vehicle market exceeds one million units and is considered a global mid-sized market. Moreover, lacking domestic manufacturing capabilities, most vehicles are imported, resulting in relatively low barriers to entry. From this perspective, Australia serves as a crucial benchmark for assessing automotive competitiveness across nations.

Both Toyota and Mazda saw double-digit declines. While Japanese brands struggled, Chinese brands made significant progress.

In terms of brand rankings, Toyota remained the top-selling brand from January to February, but sales fell by 24.9% year-on-year to 27,900 units. Mazda ranked second with a 13.9% decline, selling 14,700 units. BYD experienced a remarkable 160% year-on-year increase, reaching 10,200 units. Great Wall Motors and Chery also achieved substantial growth, up 27% and 99%, respectively. Additionally, four brands under SAIC Group—including “MG”—all ranked within the top ten in sales.

Since vehicle sales by brand are attributed to their country of production, brands such as Tesla (USA), BMW (Germany), and Kia (South Korea) are counted toward China’s export volume to Australia if they are manufactured in China. Among them, Kia ranked third by brand, increasing sales by 7% to 13,300 units.

The breakthrough by Chinese automakers is largely driven by the rising popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in Australia.

According to FCAI data, EV sales reached 103,000 units in 2025, up 13.1% year-on-year, while PHEV sales hit 53,000 units, surging 130% compared to the previous year.

Data from Australian media outlet CarExpert shows that BYD sold 52,400 EVs and PHEVs in 2025, representing a 156% increase year-on-year. Since early 2026, BYD has firmly established itself among the top ten brands. On the other hand, Tesla, focused exclusively on electric vehicles, saw its sales drop to 28,000 units—a decrease of 24.8% compared to last year.

Among Chinese brands, Great Wall Motors also achieved 52,800 unit sales, a 23.4% year-on-year increase, surpassing BYD. However, this growth was not primarily driven by EVs or PHEVs. The main model is the compact SUV Haval, which sold about 20,000 units annually, including both gasoline and hybrid variants.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862433384501259/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.