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It’s an often repeated truism that the Australian new car market is “the most competitive in the world”. In fact, CarsGuide has no doubt repeated it on multiple occasions.
But it’s time to think again because we’ve been busy pulling back the curtain on the Chinese new car business.
Visibility of the multitude of brands that seem to magically appear with alarming regularity is cloudy at best. So, what follows is our attempt to list them all, complete with website details so you can check them out for yourself.
There are the ‘Big Four’ of course - Chang'an, Dongfeng, FAW Group and SAIC Motor. But we’ve listed their subsidiaries and sub-brands, too. And we’ve added a thumbnail list of the products all the Chinese makers offer.
It’s a deep dive into a huge, murky pool. And we’d like you to call out any we’ve missed. Give us a shout in the comments and we’ll add them to the list.
For the record, we make it 67 brands represented in the Australian new car market. And that’s sneaking in a few light and heavy commercial names, just for the hell of it.
Our list of Chinese domestic brands currently sits at 88, and that’s just the manufacturers! Add joint-venture importer/distributor relationships for the European, Japanese and North American models we all know and you’re into triple figures in a heartbeat.
No buses or trucks included, either. Many of which you might be familiar with on local roads, like Golden Dragon, Higer, King Long, Yutong or Zhongtong.
What we've discovered is a stunning array of mostly SUVs and sedans, pure-electric, hybrid and internal combustion, offering up huge digital displays, slick styling, impressive efficiency, leading edge safety tech, ‘immersive’ gaming screens, assisted-parking… everything you could imagine and more.
Ridiculously cute EV city cars to million-dollar V12 limousines. Jump in, take a look and don’t forget to update us on any that have slipped through the cracks!
Owned by Dongfeng
| Haohan | Small ICE SUV / mid-size liftback / small EV sedan |
| Haoji | Medium ICE SUV / medium sedan / medium EV sedan |
| Yixuan | Sporty SUV / small sedan |
| AX7 | Large SUV |
| A60 | Small SUV |
Owned by GAC Group
| S | Small EV sedan |
| S Plus | Medium EV sedan |
| Y Plus | Small EV SUV |
| V Plus | Medium EV SUV |
| LX Plus | Large EV SUV |
| GT | Large EV Sportback (with scissor front doors) |
| SSR | Mid-motor electric supercar |
| M5 | Medium five-seat EV SUV (Macan-influenced) |
| M7 | Large six-seat EV SUV |
| U5 | Small EV SUV |
| U6 | Small EV coupe SUV |
Owned by BAIC / Design head is long-time VW Group design chief Walter de Silva
| Kaola | Medium EV people mover (sliding rear doors) single-mindedly focuses on young families with small kids |
| Alpha S | Medium EV liftback |
| Alpha T | Medium EDV SUV |
| Avatr II | EV SUV- Platform developed jointly by Changan, Huawei, and CATL |
(Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation) - Founded in 1958
Umbrella brand sitting over subsidiaries - Arcfox, Beijing Automobile, Foton Motor, Beijing Heavy Truck and Changhe Automobile.
Joint ventures - Beijing Benz, Fujian Benz, Beijing Hyundai, Foton Daimler
Owned by SAIC / SGMW
| Yue Ye | Suzuki Jimny clone |
| Valli | Handsome mid-size wagon - 1.5T petrol four |
| KiWi EV | City car that looks like Wall-e on four wheels |
| RC-5 | Mid-size liftback |
| RS-3 | Mid-size SUV |
| RM-5 | Large SUV |
| RC-6 | Large coupe SUV |
| RS-5 | Sporty mid-size SUV |
| Hatches and people movers large and small |
| Baojun 530 |
| Baojun 510 |
| Baojun 360 |
| Baojun 730 |
| Baojun 310 |
| Baojun 310w |
| Plus light commercials |
Beijing Automobile Works / based in Qingdao, north of Shanghai
People movers and light commercials (dual cab ute - 2.0L 106kW/200Nm)
Owned by FAW
| Pentium T90m | Medium SUV |
| Pentium M9 | People mover |
| Pentium B70S | Small SUV |
| Pentium B70 | Small hatch |
| Pentium T99 | Large SUV |
| Pentium T77 | Large SUV |
| Pentium T55 | Large SUV |
| Pentium NAT | Small EV people mover |
Mini-buses and people movers with Renault
Cars and SUVs with BMW
Established in 1995 / China’s top-selling brand (world number 10)
EVs on the e-Platform 3.0
| Atto 3 | EV SUV |
| Song L | EV hatch |
| HAN | Large EV liftback |
| Tang | Large EV SUV |
| Qiyuan A07 | EV liftback |
| iDD | Small petrol/electric hybrid SUV |
| Yida | Medium ICE hatch |
| UNI | Medium ICE SUV |
| Luminous | Three-door city EV hatch |
| CS | Full range of ICE SUVs - 95 / 85 / 75 / 55 / 35 / 15 |
| EADO | Small (Corolla baiting) ICE sedan |
| REATON | Mid-size ICE sedan |
| Explorer | Dual cab ute - BorgWarner 4WD system / 2.0L diesel engine as used in the GWM Cannon (120kW/400Nm) |
| Benni EV360 | Small EV hatch |
| A800 | Small ICE people mover |
| Ossan | Large seven-seat ICE people mover |
| Honor | Medium ICE people mover |
| S50 | Small seven-seat ICE people mover |
Owned by BAIC
| A6 | Small ICE five-door hatch |
| M50S | Medium ICE people mover (14-inch rims) |
| Q7 | Large ICE SUV |
| Q35 | Compact ICE SUV |
State-owned
| Tiggo 8 / 7 / 4 / 2 | Variety of ICE SUVs |
| Arrizo 8 / 6 | Small hatch / medium liftback |
| Omoda 5 | Compact crossover SUV |
| QQ Ice Cream | Three-door city car EV brand launched in 2022 |
Heavy trucks and passenger vehicles
| Yuehu | Small EV crossover |
| Yuanzhi | Large ICE people mover |
| Yuanhang | H9 large EV SUV (Cayenne clone) / H8 (Macan clone) / Y6 luxury liftback (“S-class Ride Comfort”) / Y7 large sedan with front scissor doors |
Shenzhen BYD New Energy Company Ltd
BYD and Mercedes-Benz Group EV joint-venture from 2010
| N7 | Five-seat luxury crossover |
| D9 | Large people mover |
| D9 Premier | Large luxury people mover |
State-owned / parent company of Aeolus - SUVs and sedans, Voyah - sedans, SUVs and people movers
Also JVs with Honda, Nissan/Infiniti and Peugeot/Citroen
Subsidiary of Honda and Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC Group) joint-venture selling Hondas
| VE-1 | Light electric five-door SUV |
Chery subsidiary
| Star Trek | Four-cylinder turbo-petrol mid-size SUV |
| Astral Lingyun | Large ICE SUV |
| Star Journey | Six- and seven-seat large ICE SUV |
| Starlight | Small luxury ICE SUV |
First Automobile Work
Parent brand of Hongqi, Bestune, Junpai and Senia
| Tunland G7 | 4x4 turbo-diesel dual cab ute (variation on the spec sold in Australia) |
Parent of multiple brands (Soueast / Keyton / Yudo) producing sedans, SUVs, people movers, large, medium and light buses, heavy, medium and light trucks, and new energy vehicles
Guangzhou Automobile Group
Owns Aion and Trumpchi as well as operating joint ventures with Honda / Toyota / Mitsubishi
Geely sub-brand set to launch seven models within two years
| L7 | Mid-size plug-in hybrid SUV (launching late 2023) |
| E8 | Large EV sedan (previewed by Galaxy Light concept) |
Private company - translates into English as ‘auspicious’ or ‘lucky’.
International - London EV / Lotus / Proton / Smart / Volvo
Domestic - Galaxy / Geometry / Lynk & Co / Radar / Zeekr
| Monjaro | Flagship 2.0L turbo-petrol AWD SUV |
| Tugella | Five-seat 2.0L turbo-petrol AWD coupe SUV |
| Coolray | 1.5L FWD compact SUV |
| Azkarra | Mild-hybrid five-seat SUV |
| Okavango | Large seven-seat mild-hybrid SUV |
| Emgrand | Mid-size ICE FWD sedan |
Geely sub-brand (Geome)
| C | Small single-motor EV SUV |
| Mini | Three-door EV city car |
| G6 | Small EV sedan |
| M6 | Small EV SUV |
| E | Small EV SUV |
| A Pro | Small EV sedan |
Great Wall Motors
Haval / Ora / Poer / Wey
| 8S | 1.6L ICE small SUV |
| Hippocampus | Seven-seat ICE SUV |
| 7X | Six-seat ICE people mover |
| 7X-E | Six-seat RV people mover |
| Seahorse 6P | Small PHEV SUV |
GWM sub-brand
| Big Dog | Tank 300 in Australia / PHEV SUV / Big Dog II for 2024 |
| Cool Dog | Plug-in hybrid SUV |
| H5 | Large petrol or diesel SUV |
| H6 | Large ICE and hybrid SUV / also H6 GT |
| H9 | Large five- and seven-seat ICE SUV (petrol and diesel) |
| Jolion | Medium petrol and hybrid SUV |
| Xiaolong | AWD mid-size PHEV SUV |
| Xiaolong Max 818 | Four-wheel drive petrol-electric hybrid |
Parent company Evergrande owns 45 per cent of Faraday Future / acquired NEVS (formerly Saab) / developing 14 new EV models
| Hengchi 1 | Large sedan |
| Hengchi 2 | Medium sedan |
| Hengchi 3 | Small SUV |
| Hengchi 4 | People mover |
| Hengchi 5 | Small SUV |
| Hengchi 6 | Small sedan |
| Hengchi 7 | Medium liftback |
| Hengchi 8 | Medium sedan |
| Hengchi 9 | Medium SUV |
EV maker that has “has created a parallel dimension for trailblazers”
| X | Large luxury SUV with gullwing doors |
| Z | Four-door GT |
| Y | Medium SUV with gullwing doors |
FAW subsidiary
Luxury cars since 1958. Name means red flag. The Hongqi L5 is called "Chinese Rolls Royce" because of its high price (more than five million yuan / A$1.1m).
| L5 | 6.0L V12 RWD 300kW/500Nm / 5.5m long |
| H5 | 1.5L and 1.8L FWD ICE luxury sedan |
| H7 | 1.8L and 2.0L RWD luxury sedan |
| H9 | 2.0L turbo limo |
| Ousado | 2.0L turbo five-seat sedan |
| HS5 | Medium five-seat ICE SUV |
| HS7 | 2.0L and 3.0L turbo seven-seat SUV |
| E-HS9 | Large EV SUV |
| E-QM5 | Large EV sedan |
| Neta U Pro | Small EV SUV |
| Neta V Pro | Light entry-level EV SUV |
| Neta V | Small single-motor EV SUV |
| V09 | Electric people mover with claimed 750km+ range |
| A06 | BMW-like EV sedan |
| Z03 | Small electric SUV |
| 007 | Medium five-seat EV SUV |
Chery sub-brand / youth-oriented
| 03 | Light electric EV (coming soon) |
| LS7 | Small dual-motor SUV (glass roof) |
| L7 | Medium premium EV sedan |
JAC Volkswagen / Electric SEATs
| JS8 | Large five-seat ICE SUV |
| J7 Plus | Mid-size sedan |
| J7 | Small ICE sedan |
| JS6 | Mid-size ICE SUV |
| JS7 | Large luxury ICE SUV |
| JS4 | Small ICE SUV |
| JS3 | Light ICE SUV |
| JS2 | Small ICE SUV |
| e-J7 | Small EV sedan |
| e-JS4 | Small EV SUV |
| e-JS1 | Light five-door EV city hatch |
| Dashing | Mid-size ICE SUV |
| X70 Plus | Large five-seat ICE SUV |
| X70 | Small ICE SUV |
| X90 Plus | Large luxury ICE five-seat SUV |
| X95 | Luxury seven-seat ICE SUV |
VW subsidiary
| VS7 | Small five-seat ICE SUV |
| VS5 | Light ICE SUV riding on MQB platform |
| VA3 | Small ICE sedan |
JV between Geely and tech company Baidu
| Robo 01 | Small EV SUV (coming soon) |
Ford JV
| Everest | With 2.3L turbo-petrol |
| Territory | Medium ICE SUV |
| Lingyu | Small ICE SUV |
| Ling Rui | Medium ICE SUV |
| Vigus | Dual cab ute, 2.5L turbo-petrol |
| Vigus Plus | Option of 2.0L EcoBoost turbo-diesel |
| Vigus EV | EV panel van |
| S350 | Small SUV |
FAW subsidiary / wears FAW badging
| A70 | Small ICE FWD sedan |
| A50 | VW Jetta-like 1.5L ICE sedan |
| D60 | Small ICE SUV (Toyota 2ZR 1.8L engine) |
| CX65 | VW Passat-like 1.5L ICE wagon |
Changan sub-brand
| AO7 | Five-door EV liftback |
Mainly producing electric ATVs, off-road buggies and golf karts
Exports the Offroad K32 EV dual cab ute to the USA but it's not eligible for road registration
Fujian subsidiary
| Keyton 5 | Small five-seat ICE SUV |
| Keyton 7 | Small five-seat ICE SUV |
| V60 | Mid-size SUV |
| EX7 | Small EV SUV |
| EX80 | Small ICE eight-seat people mover |
| C01 | Small luxury EV sedan |
| C11 | Small luxury EV SUV |
| T03 | Five-door EV city hatch |
| S01 | Small EV sports coupe |
Established in 2015
| Ideal One | Luxury mid-size SUV |
| Ideal L9 | Luxury full-size SUV |
| Ideal L8 | Six-seat SUV |
| Ideal L7 | Five-seat ICE SUV |
| X3Pro | Small ICE SUV |
| 60S | Small EV sedan |
Made in Taiwan / Yulon subsidiary
| N7 | Small EV SUV |
| URX Neo | Small ICE SUV |
| U6 Neo | Small ICE coupe SUV |
Geely sub-brand
| 01 | ICE SUV |
| 03 | ICE medium sedan / 03+ performance sedan (2.0L turbo AWD, carbon body kit, sports exhaust, 19s with Michelin Cup rubber) / Lynk & Co 03 TCR Australia Series racer (Ashley Seward Motorsport) |
| 05 | AWD ICE SUV coupe |
Owned by SAIC / As seen in Australia as LDV
LDV T60 / D90 / Deliver 9 / Mifa people mover / V80 van
Founded in 2014, pure-electric maker. Says it will be present in 25 countries and regions by 2025.
| ET7 | Large sedan |
| ET5 | Medium sedan and wagon |
| ES8 | Large SUV |
| ES7 | Medium SUV |
| ES6 | Medium crossover |
| EC7 | Medium coupe SUV |
| EC6 | Small coupe SUV |
GWM sub-brand
| Funky Cat | Ora in Australia / Small FWD EV hatch |
GWM sub-brand
| Cannon | Sold in Australia as the Great Wall Ute / two- or four-wheel drive turbo-diesel dual cab |
| 7 | Medium ICE SUV |
| 5S | Small SUV |
Owned by Geely - “high-end new energy outdoors lifestyle vehicle brand” launching soon
| RD6 | Pure electric dual cab ute |
Owned by SAIC
| Feifan F7 | Five-seat EV sedan |
| Feifan R7 | Five-seat EV SUV |
| RC Essence | Large EV SUV concept |
Owned by SAIC
| D7 EV | Mid-size EV sedan |
| RX9 | Mid-size ICE SUV |
| RX5 | Small ICE SUV |
| eRX5 | Small EV SUV |
| RX5 | Seven-seat ICE SUV |
| iMax8 | ICE people mover |
(formerly Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) - Baojun / LDV / MG / Roewe / Wuling
State-owned and the largest Chinese car company / Joint ventures with GM and VW
FAW subsidiary
| R9 | Medium ICE five-seat SUV |
| E3 | Small EV SUV |
| SF5 | Medium EV coupe SUV |
SGMW - Baojun, Wuling
| Yellow Sea N7 | Dual cab 4x4 ute 2.4L turbo-petrol |
| Yellow Sea N2 | Dual cab ICE ute |
| Yellow Sea N1 | Dual cab ICE ute |
| Yellow Sea Passenger Bus | 2.0L turbo-diesel people mover |
Changan sub-brand
| SL03 | Small premium EV sedan |
| iS6 | Small five-seat EV SUV |
| iM8 | Electric people mover |
| iC3 | Micro EV hatch |
| BE11 | Five-seat small EV SUV |
Fujian subsidiary / Subsidiary of Mitsubishi in Mainland China.
| A5 | Compact 1.5L ICE sedan |
| DX7 | Compact 1.5L ICE SUV |
| DX5 | Small 1.5L ICE SUV |
| DX3 | Small EV SUV |
| DX8S | Large ICE SUV |
| DX8 | Large ICE SUV |
| Zhiren | 1287kW 330km/h hypercar - turbine/electric hybrid |
Owned by GAC Group
Mainly combustion models
| M6 Pro | People mover |
| M8 Grandmaster | Mid-size people mover |
| Shadow Leopard | Mid-size sedan (Empow / Empow R) |
| GS3 Shadow Speed | Small SUV |
| GS8 | Medium SUV |
| GS4 / GS4 Plus | PHEV people mover (Toyota Alphard style) |
| GA8 | Medium sedan |
Owned by Dongfeng
| D60 Plus | Small FWD ICE sedan |
| T60 | Small ICE SUV |
| Venus Star | Medium ICE SUV |
| Big V DD-i Super Hybrid | Mid-size petrol-electric plug-in hybrid SUV |
| Venus Big V | Large ICE SUV |
| D60 EV Plus | Small EV sedan |
| T60 EV | Small EV SUV |
Owned by Dongfeng
| Lantu Free | Mid-size EV SUV |
| Lantu Dreamer | Large EV people mover |
| Lantu Chasing Light | Large four-door EV sedan |
| M7 | Small EV sedan |
| W6 | Small EV SUV |
| EX5-Z | Small EV SUV |
| E.5 | Small EV sedan |
GWM sub-brand
| Blue Mountain | Six-seat PHEV SUV |
| Mocha | Five-seat EV SUV |
| Latte | Two- and all-wheel drive EV SUV |
| Macchiato | PHEV small SUV |
Owned by SAIC / SGMW
| Air EV | Micro EV |
| Nano EV | Micro EV |
| Hongguang Mini EV | Micro EV convertible |
| Bingo | Small EV hatch |
| Hongguang Gameboy | Micro EV hatch (available in six versions - Hurricane Phantom / Jungle Phantom / Star Tours / Party Sweetheart / Lime Soda / Cherry Blossom) |
| Capgemini | Luxury ICE small people mover |
| Capgemini Hybrid | Medium people mover |
| Jiachen | Small people mover |
| Journey | Large people mover (and van) |
| Star Hybrid | Mid-size hybrid SUV |
| Xingchi | Small ICE SUV |
| Asta | Compact ICE SUV |
| P7 | Small EV four-door coupe |
| P5 | Medium EV sedan |
| G3i | Small EV SUV |
| G9 | Large EV SUV |
BYD luxury sub-brand
| U8 | Large (Defender-like) ladder frame EV SUV / motor on each wheels (can ‘tank turn’) |
| U9 | Electric mid-motor supercar |
Fujian subsidiary
| Yundu Yuntu | Light EV SUV |
| π1 Lite | Small EV SUV |
Taiwan-based / parent of Luxgen
Also Nissan joint-venture
Geely sub-brand
| X | Small dual-motor AWD EV SUV |
| 001 | Crossover liftback dual-motor EV |
| 009 | People mover EV six-seat, 0-100km/h 4.5sec, air suspension |
BMW / Brilliance joint-venture
| 60H | Large plug-in hybrid SUV |
| T300 | 1.5L ICE small SUV |
| U2 | Micro five-door EV hatch |
| 1949 | Full-size pick-up / 2.0L turbo-petrol |
| 1986 | Dual cab ute / 2.8L (Isuzu) turbo-diesel |
| Tiger | Old-school 2x4 and 4x4 dual cab 2.8T ICE ute |
| Little tiger | Small ICE dual cab ute |
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