“China speed” is the term used for how Chinese automakers quickly develop and roll out new models and technology, but there should be another term that’s used to describe how quickly they can enter and seize market share in an export market.
This list of nine brands bound for Australia is almost certain to be out-of-date within a few months.
While Chinese brands like GWM and MG are now well entrenched Down Under, within the past five years alone we’ve seen the launch of BYD, Denza, Deepal, Farizon, GAC, Geely, JAC, Leapmotor, IM Motors, Omoda Jaecoo, Xpeng and Zeekr, plus the return of Chery and Foton.
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And, believe it or not, there are still Chinese brands that haven’t been launched in Australia, and even whole auto groups like FAW that have yet to plant their flag on local soil.
So, for now, here are nine brands that have signalled they’re planning an Australian launch. Let’s check that tally in a few months… or perhaps even in a few weeks!
212
Off-roader brand 212 has been spied testing its only model, the Jeep Wrangler-rivalling T01, in the Northern Territory, though a local launch is some way off as it doesn’t currently produce any vehicles in right-hand drive.
A company spokesperson confirmed to CarExpert in February 2026 that RHD will come with its next-generation model.
212 is part of Qingdao-based BAW, previously a subsidiary of the BAIC Group but now privately owned, and announced last year it would be launching in Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
While resembling the Jeep Wrangler and similarly featuring live axles front and rear, plus a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, the T01 draws design inspiration from the old BAW/Beijing Jeep BJ212 that entered production in the 1960s.
The off-roader, which entered production in 2024, is also offered in China with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four.
It’s unclear what powertrains 212’s next-generation vehicles will offer, though you can expect them to retain the same rugged, boxy design language and off-road capability.
MORE: Chinese military-style off-roaders spied testing in Australia
Dreame
Dreame is unusual in that it’s a technology company which has yet to launch a production vehicle, but has nevertheless announced plans to launch in the Australian market. It plans to start customer deliveries early in 2027.
In March, it showed off new Nebula-badged concept cars: the Next 01 four-door hypercar and 01X SUV. These use a platform supporting quad electric motors, good for a claimed combined output of 1399kW of power and a mammoth 23,000Nm of torque, and claimed 0-100km/h times as quick as 1.8 seconds.
Production versions are claimed to start rolling off the production line in 2027, featuring solid-state batteries.
Dreame also plans to launch a range of electric SUVs under the Star Motor brand, and the company says both these and Nebula vehicles are planned for Australia.
It says it’s currently working on tuning its first models for local roads and conditions, as well as ensuring compliance with local regulations, safety and quality standards.
MORE: 1400kW EV hypercar maker Dreame coming to Australia in 2027
Firefly
Nio’s Firefly brand has submitted certification documents to the Australian Government for its only vehicle thus far, an electric hatchback, and has been conducting local testing and validation.
However, while it has previously confirmed it was in active discussions with local distributors “to ensure a compliant, mature and sustainable market entry”, it has yet to announce who will import and sell its vehicles here – or if it’ll end up cutting out the middle man, as the likes of Chery and MG have, by distributing its own vehicles in Australia.
The Firefly is slightly larger than a Toyota Yaris, and shapes as a smaller, potentially more premium alternative to the likes of the BYD Dolphin, MG 4 and GWM Ora.
It’s unclear if Nio’s namesake brand or the recently launched Onvo marque will also make their way Down Under.
MORE: Get ready for another new Chinese brand in Australia, but this one is a little different
Forthing
Ateco Automotive, which distributes the LDV, Ram, Renault and (separately) Maserati brands, appears to have been looking for a budget brand to handle. Just weeks ago, it confirmed it has the Australian distribution rights for Forthing, owned by Dongfeng subsidiary Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor.
That gives it a second Chinese brand, this one with crossover SUVs – complementing LDV, which specialises in vans and body-on-frame SUVs and utes.
Ateco has previously handled Foton, Great Wall and SsangYong, and also was responsible for Kia in its early days Down Under. From June, it will sell the mid-size Forthing Taikon 5, available as either an EV or an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV). It’ll take on rivals like the Leapmotor C10.
Forthing promises “a range of compelling future models” and a “comprehensive line-up of new-energy vehicles”, a Chinese term referring to plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), EREVs and EVs.
It’s unclear which other Forthing vehicles may follow, but the brand offers a range of people movers, sedans and SUVs in other markets.
MORE: China’s Forthing locked in for Australia, new Toyota RAV4 rival just two months away
Freelander
Chery is dusting off the Freelander nameplate of its partner Jaguar Land Rover, with the two automakers joining forces to establish a new SUV brand that will be launched here in 2027.
Previewed last month with the Concept 97, an SUV with various design cues from the old Land Rover Freelander, vehicles from the new brand will be produced by Chery for both the Chinese market and global markets at the Chery/JLR plant in Changshu, China.
The company says it’s reinventing “the path for Chinese automobiles to go global”, and wants the Freelander brand to be around for the long haul.
Freelander vehicles are expected to be based on Chery platforms and powertrains, but thus far the fledgling brand has yet to confirm any technical details of its upcoming models. We expect to hear more when the production version of the Concept 97 is revealed in June.
MORE: Another Chinese brand is coming to Australia, and it’s another one from Chery
iCaur
Established by Chery in 2023 as an export EV brand with a very Apple-esque name, with EREVs following thereafter, iCar offers a range of bluff, boxy SUVs which are sold under the Chery Fulwin sub-brand in China.
Unusually, Chery has filed to trademark the name iCaur locally, though this has been opposed by the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair. It remains to be seen what this brand will be called here.
The lineup opens with the electric V23, which is shorter than the Mazda CX-3, and tops out with the Toyota LandCruiser-sized V27 EREV. Some markets also get the small 03 electric SUV, which is offered in other markets as a Jaecoo.
But with Chery and Omoda Jaecoo being joined by Lepas this year and Freelander and iCaur next year, the Chinese giant runs the risk of its brands cannibalising each other – and hampering its goals of getting the Chery brand into the top five and Omoda Jaecoo in the top 10 by 2027.
“In Western markets, brand hierarchy is very vertical — this one’s entry-level, this one’s volume, this one’s premium, this one’s luxury,” Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris told CarExpert in November 2025, defending the parent company’s export strategy.
“My observation of what we see in Chinese brands… is it’s much more horizontal.”
MORE: Chery’s boxy SUV brand is coming to Australia, but we’re still unsure how to pronounce it
Jetour
Another new Chinese brand is coming to Australia, and it’s another one from Chery.
Unlike Chery, Omoda Jaecoo, Lepas, iCaur and Freelander, however, Jetour is being treated as a separate entity here and is expected to have a different back office and different distribution. Like those brands, though, its specialty is SUVs.
Jetour has yet to announce when it’ll launch here, but it has invited media to pre-launch events in June and says it’s in “the preparation phase for Australia”.
It’s one of Chery’s oldest brands, having been established in 2018 – hey, we told you things move fast in China. Jetour operates in more than 100 markets, and delivered 622,590 vehicles globally in 2025.
Right-hand drive production commenced in 2024 for several key models, with the Dashing compact SUV, the T-Series (T1 and T2) mid-size SUV, and the seven-seat X70 Plus now on sale in South Africa.
Jetour’s lineup is split between sleeker models like the Dashing and boxier, more rugged-looking vehicles like the T-Series, and there’s a choice of petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
Though not yet available in right-hand drive, Jetour’s flagship is the plug-in hybrid G700 which is a three-row, ladder-frame SUV – unlike the rest of the lineup, which consists of unibody SUVs – that’s larger than the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and almost identical in size to the Denza B8. A related ute has also been shown off in concept form.
MORE: Yet another Chinese car brand confirmed for Australia
JMC
JMC is returning to Australia, after an earlier, unsuccessful run from 2015 to 2018.
It’ll once again offer a ute under the Vigus nameplate, with government approval documents published late last year confirming it’ll come with a 3.3-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder – an engine not currently offered by the brand in any other markets – mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Unusually, JMC has filed to offer the Vigus here and not one of its new Dadao family of utes launched in 2023, which feature more modern interiors and active safety and driver assist technology missing from the Chinese-market Vigus.
Dadao vehicles – badged Grand Avenue in export markets – use a platform co-developed with Ford, with which parent company Jiangling Motors has a close relationship. It’s unclear if these will follow the Vigus, which appears to be aimed at the most affordable end of Australia’s ute market.
Earlier this year, Danny Lenartic – formerly of JAC – was appointed CEO of JMC Motor Australia.
MORE: Chinese brand set to have another crack at Australian market with new ute
Lepas
Lepas is another Chinese brand from, you guessed it, Chery. It’s set for launch here towards the end of 2026.
Like Omoda Jaecoo, it’s another Chery brand developed for export markets such as Australia and Europe, offering a range of small to medium SUVs with varying degrees of electrification, all the way up to fully electric powertrains.
Lepas’ point of differentiation from the Chery and Omoda Jaecoo brands is the availability of bold colours inside and out, though it remains to be seen how long this strategy will last in Australia where monochromatic finishes and black interiors reign supreme.
The brand may also sell designer clothes and accessories in its showrooms as part of its focus on fashion.
The small L6 and mid-size L8 SUVs are expected at launch late this year, with the smaller L4 SUV likely to follow in 2027.
MORE: 2027 Lepas L6 previewed: Another electric and hybrid SUV from Chery
MORE: Chery-owned Lepas to differentiate itself with the help of fashion brands
Note that all of these are only brands that have officially announced plans for the Australian market as of April 2026.
Others which could come here include Geely’s Ridarra, maker of the RD6 electric and plug-in hybrid unibody ute, and Changan’s luxury brand Avatr, which has filed to trademark its name locally.
BAIC and Dongfeng recently launched their namesake brands in New Zealand. BAIC’s Foton division is already represented here, distributed alongside Subaru, Peugeot and Deepal by Inchcape, while Dongfeng-developed vehicles will come here under the Forthing and (likely) Nissan brands.
