The dragon continues to rise in the automotive world, seizing the second spot in new vehicle sales from Thailand and dominating the rising tide of EV sales.
The latest FCAI new sales figures show one of the highest months yet for EVs, jumping to 11.3 per cent in September and lifting their year-to-date share to 8.1 per cent.
China’s rise as a source of new cars continued in September, becoming the second-largest country of origin. In addition, China accounts for more than three quarters of all EVs with 77.5 per cent of sales this year.
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Sales have doubled since August to 7,177 vehicles bringing the year to 51,923 for 2025, still 15 per cent down from 2024.
The FCAI figures do not include Tesla, which for Australia are also made in China.
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) driven by other Chinese models like the BYD Shark ute, recorded 4,491 sales or 4.4 per cent of the market in September, lifting their year-to-date share to 4.2 per cent.
The challenge for the repair industry is to ensure repair technique knowledge and parts can meet this flood of new entrants that has occurred largely since the introduction of the NVES , first announced in 2024 and in full implementation since July 1.
Australia has already purchased 162,812 vehicles in 2025 alone, second only to Japan, and a 20 per cent increase on 2024.
More action needed
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber says the numbers were encouraging for EV uptake from a low base, and further action is needed to accelerate the transition.
“There is no shortage of battery electric vehicles on the market in Australia,” Weber says.
“With more than 100 BEVs and more than 50 PHEVs available, manufacturers have worked hard to provide Australians with high-quality electric vehicles. What is needed now is a stronger focus on encouraging demand, in particular public recharging infrastructure.”
Weber says the challenge was to broaden EV ownership beyond early adopters and boost it from its small position in the overall car parc, currently about two per cent.
“More needs to be done to give mainstream buyers the confidence to consider EVs in the future. We need to move EV ownership beyond early adopters to mainstream Australians if we are to deliver the ambitious transition that the Government is seeking,”
“The industry welcomes the Federal Government’s recent $40 million commitment to public charging infrastructure. This is an important first step towards boosting both public and private investment. If the transition is to gain greater momentum, more support will be needed.”
Good month
Overall the Australian automotive market recorded 101,992 new vehicle sales in September 2025, bringing the year-to-date total to 914,439. This was 5.1 per cent higher than September 2024, although year-to-date sales remain down 1.4 per cent on last year.
Toyota was the market leader with sales of 18,318 during September, followed by Ford (8,300), Kia (7,330), Mazda (7,034) and Hyundai (6,501). The top models were the Toyota HiLux (5,047), Ford Ranger (4,867), Ford Everest (2,558), Toyota RAV4 (2,554) and Toyota Landcruiser (2,101).