Chinese car dominance exposed: BYD, Chery, GWM and MG are all top 10 sellers in Australia in August with the 2026 BYD Shark 6, Chery Tiggo 4, MG ZS and GWM Haval Jolion leading the way

Australian new car sales are booming.

We bought more than 100,000 new cars in August, which is the second most in August to date.

August also showed the might and power of new Chinese brands, with four entering the top 10 for the month.

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BYD was the standout coming in sixth with 4877 sales, which was good enough to beat established players such as Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru. BYD is on track to sell about 50,000 cars Down Under this year.

Sales of the BYD Shark 6 have stabilised at about the 1200 per month mark and the dual cab ute is responsible for the bulk of plug-in hybrid sales across the market in August.

The BYD Sealion 7 is firming as the best selling non-Tesla electric car in the country after another stellar performance, with 1413 sales.

Chery, GWM and MG all muscled their way into the top 10 and are expected to stay there as they rapidly expand their line-ups to attract new buyers.

Chery sales were up more than 200 per cent for August and are up about 230 per cent year-to-date.

The brand's budget-focused Tiggo 4 is the shining star with 1780 sales in August and close to 12,000 for the year so far.

Head of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Tony Weber said the rise of these brands showed how quickly consumers are accepting new options.

“The presence of four Chinese brands in the top 10 illustrates the continuing evolution of the automotive landscape in Australia. Consumers have an extraordinary range of vehicles to choose from – more than 400 models, including around 100 EVs,” said Weber.

At the top of the list it was business as usual.

The Ford Ranger was the best selling vehicle in August with 4942 sales, followed by the Toyota HiLux (4823) and Toyota RAV4 (4115).

The new MG ZS small SUV came roaring back into the top 10 with 2680 sales to bypass the Tesla Model Y (2324), Isuzu D-Max (2314), Ford Everest (2203), Toyota Prado (2033), Hyundai Kona (1983) and Toyota Corolla (1823).

Kia (7402 sales) is one of the big names doing well, with the South Korean brand showing up its big brother Hyundai (6322) and outselling Mazda (6814) in August.

Kia’s range does well across the board with no model doing all the heavy lifting.

In the first full month of sales the Tasman did about 800 units, which is about half the 1600 it needs to hit its sales targets.

Top 10 selling vehicles August, 2025

Model	Sales
Ford Ranger	4942
Toyota HiLux	4823
Toyota RAV4	4115
MG ZS	2680
Tesla Model Y	2324
Isuzu D-Max	2314
Ford Everest	2203
Toyota Prado	2033
Hyundai Kona	1983
Toyota Corolla	1823