BYD's takedown plan: New Toyota LandCruiser rival, Ford Everest beater, Hyundai Kona competitor and more models the growing Chinese car brand needs | Analysis  

Three years ago almost nobody in Australia had even heard of BYD, but now the Chinese manufacturer is a top-five brand here, outselling big names Aussies used to flock to like Honda, Nissan and Subaru. All that now stands in its way is Toyota, Ford, Mazda, Kia and Hyundai. And all BYD has to do is add four new models to its range and it could leave those holdouts in its dust. But not just any models - these models.

Rapid just doesn’t describe well enough just how fast BYD has grown in Australia. To go from zero sales in 2021 before it had arrived to selling 32,839 cars so far just in the first eight months of this year is overwhelming. Well, it has been for brands such as Nissan, Honda and Subaru, who haven’t sold more than 30,000. Even the big Europeans like Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW and Audi haven’t sold more than 20,000 this year. 

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Three or possibly four new models for BYD will easily reach 60,000 sales for the same period, catching Kia and Hyundai and possibly overtaking Mazda, too. But not just any models will do this, only the right ones will, but it's easy to see what they are from the sales data.

Looking at the latest sales data from the first eight months of the year, it is clear what models BYD needs and it’s not more mid-sized SUVs, the brand has this covered with the Sealion 6 and Sealion 7, with the possibility of the Sealion 5 coming, too. BYD also has the big-selling Shark 6 4x4 ute. 

Having popular mid-sized SUVs and a ute are key ingredients for success in Australia as these are the largest-selling segments. Toyota is the king of this recipe with its HiLux ute and RAV4 SUV, and it’s why Kia has just launched its Tasman pick-up to help the Sportage SUV with the heavy lifting. But Toyota and Kia don’t just rely on these cars to succeed. 

BYD has such momentum and the attention of Australians now that if it places a model to rival Toyota and Kia in other key segments, it will gain ground. And it can absolutely do this - not only is the company financially secure, it has an excellent supply chain and production process, plus it has the models already made. 

First, and everybody can see this, BYD needs a large, off-road SUV, something that will rival the Toyota Prado. If BYD is able to make that happen, it could gain up to 20,000 sales a year. These are all very conservative numbers too, the potential for much bigger sales is there.

After all, have you seen how many BYD Shark 6 utes are getting around with canopies? Stylish ones that make this hybrid 4x4 pick-up look like an SUV, similar to a Ford Everest or Toyota MU-X. Can you see where we’re going here? 

Yep, it’s going to happen. BYD’s answer to the Prado is its Denza B5. The B5 is a ladder-on-frame, large, off-road SUV that’s also a plug-in hybrid with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine and two electric motors producing a combined 505kW and 760Nm. That’s slated to arrive late this year or early 2026, albeit marketed under a separate Denza brand that is owned by BYD.

Next is a small SUV. BYD has the Atto 3 but at 4.5m long, it's almost classed as a 'small' mid-sized SUV. So something smaller to rival the Hyundai Kona or Mazda CX-30 is needed. We won’t have to wait long because by the end of this year the BYD Atto 2 electric SUV will launch in Australia. At 4.3m long, the Atto 2 is the size of a Kona. A smaller SUV like this could bring in 15,000 extra sales for BYD each year.

Finally, BYD needs to bring a light SUV here the size of Toyota's Yaris Cross - but fully electric like Hyundai’s Inster. Again, BYD already has this - it’s the Atto 1. BYD doesn’t plan to bring the tiny SUV here. If it does, it could pick up another 5000 sales a year.

Essentially, though, BYD needs the large, off-road Prado rival and the small Kona rival to start really worrying the brands currently ahead of it in the sales charts, and these models - the Denza B5 and Atto 2 are coming. 

It’ll be interesting to see what BYD’s year-to-date sales are this time in 2026 - 50,000? Very likely, at least, this by the looks of it.