BYD just did something no other Chinese brand has ever done in Australia

BYD has become the first Chinese brand to crack the list of top-five best-selling auto brands in Australia.

The Chinese automaker, which exclusively sells electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles, delivered 8156 new vehicles in June 2025 – a staggering 367.9 per cent increase over June 2024.

It beat its existing monthly sales record of 4811 deliveries in March, and achieved a total market share of 6.4 per cent last month.

The highest position previously achieved by a Chinese in Australia brand was sixth. This was achieved by MG in May 2023, when it delivered 4828 vehicles.

MG fell out of the top 10 in June 2025, with 3896 deliveries, down 7.8 per cent year-on-year. It was beaten by not only BYD but also by GWM, which took seventh spot with a record 5464 deliveries (up 30.9 per cent).

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Also just outside of the top 10 was Chery, which surpassed 3000 monthly deliveries for the first time, reaching 3024 units – up 180.3 per cent.

No brand could beat BYD’s year-on-year percentage increase, however.

With BYD reaching 20,458 deliveries year-to-date, it has also already beat its entire 2024 calendar year sales performance. A total of 10,424 of these – or 51 per cent – were of the Shark 6 ute.

The plug-in hybrid 4×4 dual-cab, deliveries of which commenced earlier this year, was its biggest seller in June.

A total of 2993 examples of the Shark 6 were delivered in June, making it Australia’s fifth best-selling vehicle.

Its performance saw it outsell 4×4 versions of the Isuzu D-Max, and it even came close to beating total sales of the Japanese brand’s ute line – just 126 deliveries separated it from the Shark 6.

The Shark 6 beat the D-Max in February, however, BYD blamed an administrative error that saw it count 450 examples which had actually been delivered in the previous month.

Deliveries of the Sealion 6 mid-size PHEV SUV, introduced last year, increased by 232.8 per cent year-on-year to 1604 units.

The Sealion 7 mid-size electric SUV, introduced this year, beat it with 1795 deliveries.

While BYD had offers available on the Sealion 6 during June, it had none on the Sealion 7 – and yet it was the latter that was the stronger seller, out-performing the brand’s own expectations.

These two vehicles outsold myriad models in the mainstream medium SUV segment, placing fifth and sixth overall.

That saw them fall short of the Mazda CX-5 (2582), Toyota RAV4 (2421), Hyundai Tucson (2332) and Kia Sportage (1835), but eclipse the Subaru Forester (1426), Nissan X-Trail (1344), GWM Haval H6 (1278) and Mitsubishi Outlander (1196).

The three oldest BYD models in our market sold in significantly lower volumes. BYD delivered 576 Atto 3 medium electric SUVs (up 64.1 per cent), and 561 Dolphin electric hatchbacks (up 175 per cent), but Seal electric sedan sales fell by 11.2 per cent to 627 units.

That was still enough to see it earn the title of second best-selling vehicle in its segment, falling just 112 units short of the Toyota Camry, deliveries of which plunged 63.3 per cent.

This trio may comprise BYD’s oldest models in our market, but that’s relatively speaking. The Atto 3 launched here in 2022, with the Dolphin and Seal following in 2023.

While June is typically a strong month for new-vehicle sales, BYD had a disproportionately strong performance.

June also marked the last month of EVDirect serving as BYD’s independent local importer, with the Chinese automaker taking over Australian distribution from this month.

Here’s how its monthly delivery figures compare with the other two top-selling Chinese brands in Australia so far this year.

“There was a very concerted effort from the OEM and the distributor to make a splash, but there’s no conversations about resting now. There’s huge ambitions across the board,” BYD Australia chief marketing officer Kate Hornstein told CarExpert.

Ms Hornstein wouldn’t confirm where the brand expects to finish overall in 2025. While June is traditionally a strong month for new-vehicle sales, fuelled by end-of-financial-year (EOFY) offers, the third quarter is typically a weaker time of the year for sales.

It was the Atto 3’s launch in 2022 that saw BYD properly establish itself in Australia as a volume brand, after previously dabbling with limited runs of fleet-focused vehicles like the e6 people mover and T3 van.

BYD’s Australian sales volumes should continue to grow on the back of several new model releases.

It’s planning to launch a new small electric SUV, the Atto 2, later this year, while the seven-seat Sealion 8 plug-in hybrid SUV will follow in 2026, giving the brand its largest SUV yet in our market.

Other vehicles on the horizon from BYD include more permutations of the hot-selling Shark 6, and potentially an electric city car (the Seagull/Dolphin Surf), plus a plug-in hybrid mid-size sedan and wagon in the Seal 06.

BYD is now distributing vehicles in Australia itself, having dropped EVDirect as its local distributor – though the Aussie firm retains a minority stake in BYD’s retail joint venture with Eagers Automotive Limited, and key personnel have moved over to the automaker.

The company also plans to introduce its premium Denza brand later this year.

MORE: VFACTS June 2025: Chinese cars surge in buoyant market