Curious about the new car brands appearing in local traffic? It’s nothing new.
Australia’s car industry is in the midst of a new-brand boom.
Fresh and unfamiliar names such as Deepal, Geely and Jaecoo – and others – are now squaring up against Toyota, Ford and Mazda for a slice of the Australian new-car sales pie, which hit an annual record of 1,220,607 last year.
Major names like Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Subaru have been officially selling new cars in Australia for many decades. Even Hyundai celebrates its 40th birthday in Australia next year. So when names like ‘Build Your Dreams’ (BYD), ‘Chery’ and ‘Leapmotor’ start popping up in traffic, you’re right to be curious.
Despite their unfamiliarity, buyers are choosing these new brands. BYD kicked off in Australia in 2022 and sold 2213 new cars. That number was 12,438 in 2023 and it grew to 20,458 last year. They’re planning more, which is no surprise given their global sales in 2024 grew (not total, grew) by 1.2 million units, or 41 percent.
But does Australia’s one-million new-car market have room from 70-something different brands? Time will tell.
If you go back about a hundred years you’ll find names that are just as unfamiliar.
Back then, brands like Auburn, Cord, Studebaker and Duesenberg epitomised the best of US carmaking. It was the same in France with Delage and Delahaye. Germany was home to NSU, Horch and others. Canada had Russell.
But changing economies, technical difficulties, bankruptcies and war proved too much for many of them. Some shifted away from automobile production. Others were absorbed by different companies. Some just fell away.
History shows that the brands which endured shared common abilities, such as consistent customer service, strong dealership coverage, quality products and new-car catalogues that offered the vehicles local buyers really wanted.
New brands have always emerged within the car industry. Expect more to come, some to merge, some to disappear and some to reappear in other industries.
But the brands (both new and legacy) that consistently deliver what customers expect over the long term will, as history shows, most likely thrive.
Bernie Quinn, CEO of Premcar
P.S. That’s my Studebaker in the photo
About Premcar:
Premcar Pty Ltd is a leading Australian vehicle engineering business that specialises in the automotive, defence and aerospace industries. For more than 25 years, global car-makers have made Premcar their go-to partner for the complete design, engineering and manufacture of niche-model new cars, full-scale new-vehicle development programs, and electric vehicle (EV) conversions and manufacturing. Premcar’s body of work is extensive. It is the name behind more than 200,000 new cars and 55,000 new-vehicle engines. The company has delivered technical advancements and sales success for major car brands from Europe, the USA, Japan, China and Australia. Visit premcar.au.