China Overtakes Japan as Australia's Top Car Import Source

Official Australian data shows that in April 2024, China exported nearly 36,000 passenger vehicles to Australia—a 51% year-on-year increase—surpassing Japan’s 29,000 units (down 23% year-on-year) and becoming Australia’s largest source of imported cars. In the first four months of this year, Australia imported over 100,000 complete vehicles from China, up 51% year-on-year, compared with approximately 94,500 units from Japan during the same period, down 23% year-on-year. The five fastest-growing brands in Australia from January to April were all Chinese: BYD, Chery, Geely, Great Wall, and Jaecoo. In April alone, Chinese brands sold around 27,000 vehicles in Australia, capturing nearly 29% of the new car market share. Surging demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has been the primary driver behind Chinese brands’ growth: in April, Australia recorded 15,459 battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales, a 157.2% year-on-year increase, accounting for a record-high 16.4% of the overall new car market. Chinese brands held roughly 80% of the EV segment’s market share. Meanwhile, Japanese brands have seen widespread declines. Toyota’s April sales dropped 21.6% year-on-year, Mazda fell to sixth place in the brand sales rankings, and Nissan and Mitsubishi continued to shrink. Sales of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in Australia declined 30% year-on-year in April, as the ICE market—long dominated by Japanese automakers—is rapidly being overtaken by the shift toward electrification.