How China is Taking Over the Aussie Car Market
It’s official: China is changing the game in Australia’s car market.
Chinese automaker BYD has launched its hybrid powered ute, the Shark 6, which has quickly become a top seller in the country.
A New Breed of Hybrid Powered Utes
The Shark 6 has charged into fifth place on the national sales leaderboard for June, outselling hundreds of competitors and closing in on Aussie favorites like the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, and Isuzu D-Max.
With 2,993 sales in June, the Shark 6 is hot on the heels of the Isuzu D-Max (3,119), the Toyota HiLux (6,195), and Ford Ranger (6,293), according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) data.
Australia’s Love Affair with Utes
Light commercial vehicles, like utes, accounted for 25.3 per cent of all new car sales in June.
When the Electric Vehicle Council numbers for June are taken into account, the Shark 6 slips into fifth sales overall across Australia, with the Tesla Model Y recording 3457 sales last month.
A Strong Appetite for Light Commercial Vehicles
FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said the latest figures show the country has a strong appetite for light commercial vehicles, especially utes.
“In a market of over 400 models, the top four utes made up 15.2 per cent of all sales during June. The rest of the top 10 was made up of SUVs and, when combined, models in the top 10 made up 27.2 per cent of all sales,” Mr Weber said.
BYD’s Rise to Fame
Toyota remained the Australian market leader and stayed in its number one spot with a total of 20,225 vehicle sales for June 2025, ahead of Ford (10,103), Mazda (9,405), Hyundai (8,407), and BYD, which surged into fifth place with 8,156 vehicles sold across its range.
Year-to-date, BYD moved to 8th place with a total of 23,355 new vehicles sold.
A Strong Market Despite Cost-Of-Living Pressures
In June alone, Australians bought 122,509 new vehicles, marking a 2.4 per cent increase compared to the same month last year.
It brings the year-to-date total to more than 608,000, a sign that despite the cost-of-living pressures, the market is holding strong.