Australian new-car imports: China overtakes Korea

The number of new cars imported to Australia from China overtook vehicles shipped from Korea in 2023.

Chinese-built models registered locally last year grew 58 per cent to 193,433 – moving them past Korean-sourced vehicles that increased by just two per cent to 161,614 units.

According to Country of Origin data in official VFACTS industry figures, China moved up to third – behind Thailand (264,253 vehicles) and leading import nation Japan (345,071 vehicles).

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The increase was driven primarily by record years for multiple Chinese brands in Australia.

MG led the way with 58,346 new-vehicle registrations to beat its previous best of 49,582 in 2022. GWM increased sales by 45 per cent to 36,397 units, and LDV jumped 31 per cent to 21,398 sales.

BYD also had a successful first full year in Australia, shifting 12,438 vehicles with just two models – the Atto 3 compact SUV (pictured above) and Dolphin hatchback.

The 2023 result continues the incredible rise of Chinese cars, which accounted for fewer than 10,500 vehicles in 2018.

This year marks 15 years since the Great Wall Motors (now GWM) became the first Chinese brand to enter the Australian market, with the V240 and SA220 utes.

It's 20 years since the first ever Chinese-built model went on sale here - the 2004 Volkswagen Polo Classic sedan.

Chinese-built models from brands headquartered outside of China also contributed to 2023's result. Tesla sold a record 46,116 vehicles last year locally, with the Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV.

Also sourced from China is Volvo’s electric XC40 and C40 models, as well as the Polestar 2 from its all-electric sister brand, and the BMW iX3 electric SUV.

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Cars from Germany increased by a notable 36 per cent, though the biggest year-on-year increase for a country was driven by a single car.

Portugal jumped by 147 per cent thanks to the Volkswagen T-Roc compact SUV (above), which increased sales from 3637 to 8943 units. The T-Roc was last year voted Wheels Best Small SUV.