Geely News

Geely is latest to issue warning about the unsustainable state of global car market joining GWM and even the Chinese government in concerns about price-cuts and oversupply.

Whoever said ‘you can never have too much choice’ clearly never saw the Australian new car market in 2025. The country is being inundated with not only new models, but seemingly new brands every month.In 2025 alone we’ve had the introduction of Cadillac, Deepal, Geely, GMC, Jaecoo, Leapmotor, Omoda and Xpeng to our roads. These join other relatively new arrivals which include (but aren’t limited to) BYD, Chery, Chevrolet, Cupra, JAC and Zeekr, with more reportedly on the way.While competition is great, and certainly there are many very likeable cars from most of these brands, I’m starting to feel like we’ve reached breaking point in Australia. We buy just over one million new cars each year, and that number won’t rise sharply anytime soon, so each new brand only splits the market into even smaller pieces.When you factor in Toyota accounts for around 20 per cent of the market each year, and that too doesn’t look like changing anytime soon, then you have nearly 70 brands fighting over 80 per cent of what’s left. While there’s certainly some major positives to this booming industry, namely the increased competition, especially the brands from China, have slowed down the dramatic price rises we’ve seen post-pandemic. The market was already headed that way before 2020, with many brands working out it makes better financial sense to sell fewer cars but at a higher profit than it does to sell lots of cars for less margin. Without question, a major factor in the growth of Chinese cars in Australia is thanks to the highly competitive pricing strategy brands like MG, GWM, BYD and others have engaged in.These new brands do give choice, but the downside of so much choice is it makes it harder for you, the new car customer, to know what to buy. Obviously we do our best here at CarsGuide to keep you informed, but frankly there are so many new brands - both those with history and reputation and those without - that buying is simply getting more and more complicated.One of the biggest challenges with new brands, as in brands with no history in developed car markets, is that a new model that seems solid and good value now may age terribly and give you no-end of problems. Or, alternatively, it could be great and problem-free - but it’s an expensive gamble to find out.But the cold, hard fact remains, the new car market is only so big and unless all brands not named Toyota prepare for a smaller market share, then not all will survive in all likelihood. In recent years Holden has gone, so too has Chrysler and Citroen, and there are seemingly several more hanging on with shrinking sales numbers. That will almost certainly leave customers facing an uncertain future for parts, servicing, etc, not to mention it will likely tank resale value. So, yes, choice is great, but too much choice can ultimately make life harder for everyone involved. Because at what point do we stop - 80 brands? 100? It may sound silly but at the rate some of these newer brands are multiplying with spin-offs and sister-brands, there appears to be no end in sight - and that’s not necessarily good news…

It’s EOFY time again!

Will Geely be the next brand to hit the market with a hybrid ute?

There are more and more Chinese car brands entering the Australian new car market seemingly every day.

A long-range version of the Geely EX5 has leaked in homologation filings in its home market of China less than three months after the budget electric model launched in Australia.

Six months ago the heavens were falling as a wave of new Chinese brands approached our shores, with some predicting mass casualties of legacy carmakers.Most of these new brands have arrived, including Deepal, Geely, Jac, XPeng and Zeekr, but have they wreaked the havoc that was predicted?The answer is no. After several months on sale the initial take up has been modest at best.Geely has sold about 500 of its cut-price EX5 electric mid-size SUV, which is a good start but not a knock-out blow to anyone.Jac has had trouble getting its T9 ute on the ground in Australia, but its 650 sales this year aren’t worrying Ford or Toyota.Deepal and XPeng don’t report sales figures yet, but anecdotal evidence suggests they haven’t hit critical mass.Zeekr has moved around 270 examples of its X small electric SUV and luxurious 009 people mover combined.It turns out that just because you are new and from China doesn’t mean you have a cheat code to success in Australia, as some may have thought.As with every other new brand, it will take time and resources to build up a strong following.Take a look at BYD, Chery, GWM and MG. These brands have had to grind it out over years to get a toehold in the local market.GWM and MG have since turned that toehold into a sizeable chunk of market share, like a wily pub veteran pushing elbows out at the bar to settle in, with both now established top 10 selling brands Down Under.It was a similar story for many of these brands that are now awash with sales.Chery launched with its Omoda 5 small SUV and said it would sell 10,000 in the first year … it did not come close.Fast forward a few years and Chery’s beefed-up line-up has accounted for more than 8000 sales through the first four months of this year and is on target to sell more than 20,000 vehicles in 2025. The cut-price Tiggo 4 small SUV leads the charge.BYD has sold more than 11,000 cars through to the start of May this year, but when it first arrived its Atto 3 sold just OK. Its sales really turbocharged years later after it brought in its line-up of plug-in hybrids such as the Sealion 6 SUV, Shark 6 dual-cab ute and the mid-size Sealion 7 electric SUV.Sales of the Sealion 6 and Shark 6 may fall back to earth now that tax incentives for plug-in hybrids have ended.In April, the BYD Sealion 7 electric SUV displaced the Tesla Model Y as the bestselling EV that month, which is only the second time since August 2022 a Tesla hasn’t been the bestselling electric car in a month.The MG ZS and GWM Haval Jolion are the second- and third-bestselling small SUVs, eclipsing rivals such as the Toyota Corolla Cross, Kia Seltos and Mitsubishi ASX.A few more car brands are on the cusp of launching with GAC and Skywell committed to landing here, but as recent history has shown, it’ll be a tough slog to carve out a slice of the Aussie market.But what about the effect on other brands?The only new car brand gone from the local market recently is Citroën, which was on a steep decline long before we knew any of these newcomers existed. Stellantis and its herd of car brands, such as Jeep and Alfa Romeo, look a little unsteady on their feet here, but this is not the result of new Chinese brands.The big boys of the Australian car industry are still doing well.Toyota’s market share has grown this year, compared to the first four months of 2024, as has Mazda, Hyundai and Kia’s. Ford’s is effectively even, too.So your favourite car brand might be around for longer than was predicted not so long ago.

Chinese electric car maker BYD is following a secret five-year massive growth plan, which will see it sell half its vehicles overseas by 2030. This will make it a vehicle manufacturer on the same scale as Toyota and Volkswagen, according to a new report.The report by news outlet Reuters cites four people “familiar with the matter” who said BYD’s executives have committed to an ambitious strategy, which will see the electric vehicle brand undergo such an enormous output and sales increase that the company will rival even the world’s largest car manufacturers.BYD has just become the largest selling brand in its home country of China, overtaking Volkswagen last year with 4.27 million units sold.Last year BYD sold 417,204 vehicles overseas and this year the company plans to double that number to 800,000.  The Reuters report revealed BYD met privately with the company's investors to notify them of the growth plan, but it is not known if an actual 2030 predicted sales figure was disclosed.According to the insiders the way that the company wants to be able to achieve their grand plan is by localising production throughout the world. The plan outlines the need to have factories operating in Hungary, Uzbekistan, Brazil and Thailand in order to be able achieve its goal.BYD’s global growth plan will not include the United States, where recent high tariffs against Chinese carmakers have prevented the brand selling its cars there and made the company focus on Europe as the key to its success. Australia, too, will be part of BYD’s plan. Currently Australia doesn’t impose tariffs on Chinese carmakers and this combined with our fairly new and strong interest in electric cars has seen a multitude of Chinese brands arrive here offering what the established mainstream brands could not — very affordable electric cars.  This includes brands such as Geely, Zeekr, MG and Deepal.In April this year alone BYD sold 3207 in Australia, outstripping even Volkswagen with 2076 sales by an enormous margin. And all of BYD’s cars are electric or hybrids.BYD, which started as a battery maker before turning its hand to producing vehicles, arrived in Australia in 2022 with its first EV, the Atto 3 small SUV. The brand soon brought more vehicles to Australia including the Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 6 and Sealion 7 and the Shark 6. 

Geely is considering introducing a cheaper SUV to Australia, in the shape of the Cityray.

Geely is contemplating adding the Geome supermini/crossover electric vehicle to take on the BYD Dolphin and Hyundai Inster EVs in Australia, as well hybrids like the Toyota Yaris Cross and Subaru Crosstrek. If given the go-ahead, the keenly-priced, Kia Stonic-sized five-door Geome could land here with a mid-to-high $20,000 price tag, which could make it Australia’s cheapest new EV yet.