How Australia is helping Chinese car brands: GWM, Leapmotor, Deepal and even Mazda are using Down Under as a test bed for new China developed and built cars

The extremely rapid pace of development maintained by Chinese car brands is impressive and largely comes down to the immense resources afforded to the industry.

However, it’s not all money, the tech sector and people-power. Australia has had a significant hand in many of the nimble adaptations made since China’s car brands began looking past its borders for customers.

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This is not to say the Chinese car industry is in its infancy, but until recently there was no need for brands to tailor cars to suit global tastes.

New car engineers from brands outside China have generally noted the preference, for example, for soft, wafty suspension and driver assistance systems.

“We recognise that the Chinese tuning approach is very different from what we need to have here in Europe. So every market has a different taste,” Mazda Europe's Senior Manager of Product Development and Engineering Alexander Fritsche told media last year when explaining the work that went into developing the Mazda 6e electric car as a global model.

Based on the Deepal L07, the Mazda 6e underwent major suspension changes and driver assist adjustments to suit Europe, and by extension Australia.

“Particularly interesting… is that the Chinese market seems to like very mild, soft ride comfort,” Fritsche said.

Preferences between Australia and Europe are more similar than between Australia and China, but the changes Mazda Europe made to the 6e aren’t the only example of this. 

Chinese brands have adjusted their approach to global models very quickly in the last few years, with the feedback from Australian customers, media, and even the brands’ own importers or Australian subsidiaries helping deliver cars that aren’t just built for domestic tastes.

Stellantis Australia Senior Product Manager Rick Crichton spoke to media at the local launch of the Leapmotor B10 in early 2026 and said Leapmotor’s headquarters was not only receptive to Australian feedback, but regularly sought it.

“They are constantly asking for our feedback,” Crichton said.

“Us being the closest to the ground, I've got a pretty good handle on the Australian automotive landscape, so they are always curious for my feedback. 

“They want my input, and we put requests into them and they're super responsive because they are geared for success. 

“Even in some of the requests I've made for simple feature changes via OTA, they're coming through in, you know, lightning quick.”

It’s not just brands new to the market like Leapmotor or Deepal that are quickly learning what Australian drivers and car buyers prefer.

GWM has been in Australia for approaching two decades, having launched in 2009 as Great Wall.

Although only the last decade of that has been factory-backed from headquarters in China, the brand’s long-running presence in Australia compared to its compatriots last year saw GWM take the step of employing one of Australia’s best-known ride and handling engineers, former Holden vehicle dynamics lead engineer Rob Trubiani.

“GWM has been actively listening to local customer feedback for several years now with much of this feedback already making its way into the final tuning of new models making their way to the Australian and New Zealand markets,” GWM said in a statement announcing Trubiani’s recruitment in March 2025.

“In hiring Mr Trubiani, GWM’s objective is to strengthen local engineering efforts with a view to further improving vehicle dynamics and, ultimately, customer experience across the region.”

While the long-term effects of Trubiani’s presence at GWM are yet to be seen, new entry to the market, GAC, has already locally tested its three models from launch having worked with Toyota in China for decades.

“We have learned a lot from them, and we believe that the customer will have a different experience by driving GAC,” Deputy General Manager of GAC Australia Cheney Liang told CarsGuide in November 2025.

The Aion V mid-size electric SUV, the M8 plug-in hybrid people mover and the Emzoom compact SUV were the first three confirmed cars from the brand to land in Australia. 

“When we picked the models, we came to Australia. We have already done the Australian test,” Liang confirmed.

Different approaches, different results, but the common theme that Australia is often the first external market for Chinese brands to learn in is clear.

Who knows what the market will look like in a few more years, but it’s likely the increasing quality of Chinese cars won’t slow down.