Chinese giant BYD will launch “around seven or eight new models” in Australia this year, the head of the Australian market Stephen Collins announced at a media event.
“[…] I can assure you that over the next six to eight months, we’ll be filling opportunities in the lineup and also providing upgrades to a number of our existing models,” Collins stated.
BYD‘s goal is to “[fill] out the range and [offer] New Energy Vehicles to every Australian,” according to the CEO.
Deliveries for the Atto 1 city hatchback — known as Seagull in China — and Atto 2 SUV were expected to start last December, but the company has not announced the first hand overs as of Monday.
The Shenzhen-based automaker is set to launch in Australia two plug-in hybrid (PHEVs) SUVs on February 14: the Sealion 5 and the Sealion 8.
The first model will become the cheapest PHEV in the country.
The Seal 6, available as a sedan and station wagon, is also expected.
The model appeared last month in an Australian Government approval filing, as first reported to local automotive outlet CarExpert.
The Shark 6 PHEV mid-size pickup truck is also set to receive a major upgrade to its 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, enabling a 3.5-tonne towing capacity and a combined output of 345 kW — 224 kW more than the previous iteration.
Australian Debut
In mid-2022, BYD expanded into Australia and New Zealand.
The fully electric Atto 3 compact SUV was the first model to be introduced in the countries.
The Dolphin hatchback — marketed as Seagull in China and as Dolphin Surf in European markets — and Seal sedan were launched a year later.
The brand debuted the Sealion 6 in May 2024, which received a five-star safety rating from Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) six months later.
The Shark 6 was launched in October 2024, with deliveries starting in January 2025, while the battery-electric (BEV) Sealion 7 crossover SUV was introduced exactly a year ago.
BYD originally partnered with EVDirect, but last July the brand took over as the official importer and distributor of its vehicles.
In Australia, the cheapest model currently on sale is the Atto 3, which is priced from AU$39,990 — equivalent to $28,300.
Australian Sales
Last year, BYD sold 51,415 vehicles in Australia — a 151.3% surge from 2024’s 20,458 registrations.
The performance pushed the company to become the eighth best-selling new energy vehicle (NEV) brand in the country.
Last June, the automaker was the first Chinese one to reach the top five of strongest-selling brands in Australia, with a 367.9% jump in deliveries.
The Shark 6 — which rivals the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max— led BYD‘s local sales, becoming the fourth best-selling in the category last year.
In the first month of 2026, the 5,001 vehicles from the Shenzhen-based automaker in Australia were registered, according to data released last Wednesday by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).
The brand’s deliveries rocketed 641% from January 2025, securing sixth place among all automotive brands.
EV Adoption in January
In Australia, FCAI recorded 87,092 new vehicle registrations last month — a 0.3% year-over-year rise.
PHEV sales more than doubled (170.5%) from January 2025 to 5,161 units. The figures represented 5.9% of total sales.
Battery electric vehicles (BEV) accounted for 7,409 deliveries, growing 93.3% year-on-year and achieving a market share of 8.4%.
Both powertrains combined — which make up new-energy vehicles (NEV) — represented nearly 15% of last month’s registrations.
BYD Exports
Last year, BYD sold 1,049,601 vehicles overseas, representing a 150.7% increase compared to 2024.
The company aims to achieve 1.3 million sales outside China this year, up 24.3% from 2025.
The Chinese giant exported 100,482 units last month — a 51.5% year-over-year jump.
