March of the EVs: Cheap Chinese cars to flood Australian roads
2025 marks the year of the snake in the Chinese zodiac, and Chinese EV makers are hoping it’s the year they can target market dominance in Australia.
After years of quietly building up a local presence, brands such as Chery, BYD and XPeng are revving up local sales efforts in earnest, taking the fight to the likes of Toyota, which has been Australia’s best-selling manufacturer for more than two decades.
Sales of nearly every Chinese car manufacturer increased in Australia in 2024 – no mean feat in a highly competitive market – and a whole host of new and exotic players will make their debut this year.
Names like Jaecoo, Deepal and Zeekr wouldn’t be familiar to most Australians, but their cars will soon be on our roads and recharging at local EV stations.
The flood of competition will heap pressure on what was already a highly competitive market, and present consumers with novel options including Australia’s first sub-$30,000 electric vehicle, which will arrive alongside a fresh wave of government-backed low-interest EV loans.
(SMH) technology/march-of-the-evs-cheap-chinese-cars-to-flood-australian-roads-20250212-p5lbhl.html
