Count them as groups and Chinese car makers hold four of Australia's top 10

Australia''s official top 10 sales chart reads like a familiar lineup: Toyota, BYD, Ford, Kia, Mazda, Hyundai, GWM, Chery, Tesla and Mitsubishi. But most car makers are actually part of bigger groups — Geely alone owns Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr and Lotus — and counting by ownership rather than badge paints a strikingly different picture. That is the experiment CarsGuide ran on the year-to-date figures at the close of July 2026, and the reshuffle is dramatic: Chinese groups claim four of the top 10 places.

Photo: GWM Haval H6 — Zotyefan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The official chart versus the group chart

On the official year-to-date board at the end of July, Toyota led with 115,550 sales, followed by BYD (60,192), Ford (48,696), Kia (48,399), Mazda (46,960), Hyundai (45,581), GWM (34,877), Chery (29,579), Tesla (28,366) and Mitsubishi (27,864). Combine the brands under common ownership and the order changes:

• 1. Toyota + Lexus — 122,902
• 2. Hyundai Group (Hyundai, Kia, Genesis) — 94,995
• 3. BYD Group (BYD, Denza) — 62,885
• 4. Ford — 48,696
• 5. Mazda — 46,960
• 6. Chery Group (Chery, Omoda Jaecoo) — 40,522
• 7. GWM — 34,877
• 8. Tesla — 28,366
• 9. Geely Group (Geely, Zeekr, Polestar, Volvo, Lotus) — 28,089
• 10. Mitsubishi — 27,864

That puts Chinese groups in positions 3, 6, 7 and 9 — and MG, if counted separately, would make it five Chinese-backed players hovering around the chart''s edges.

Photo: Zeekr 7X — JustAnotherCarDesigner, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chery''s rise is the story of the year

The Chery Group''s climb into sixth — fourth place for the month of July on its own — drew a reaction straight from the top. *Becoming the fourth largest automotive group in Australia is a significant achievement and demonstrates how strongly Australian consumers have embraced both Chery and Omoda Jaecoo,* said Lewis Lu, CEO of Chery Motor Australia. The group''s volume leans heavily on the Tiggo 4, Australia''s best-selling small SUV, plus the growing Omoda Jaecoo line-up. It is also the brand adding the most new nameplates: Lepas, iCaur and Freelander are all on the Australian runway over the next 18 months. The Hyundai Group''s jump to second is the other big mover — the two Korean brands sit behind only the Toyota empire — while the Geely Group''s 28,089 total quietly includes Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr and Lotus buyers who might never suspect they are on the same team.

Photo: Leapmotor C10 — Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Why drivers should care

Group strength matters more than badge strength when you are buying a car to earn a living with. A brand backed by a giant like Geely or Chery carries deep engineering resources, expanding dealer networks and long-run parts supply — all of which keep a rideshare or delivery car on the road instead of in the workshop. It also explains the pricing war: with BYD, Geely and Chery all pushing volume into the same small-SUV and EV segments, buyers and fleet operators are the ones winning. If you have been waiting for the right time to spec an EV or hybrid for ride-hailing work, competition has rarely been this fierce. *Figures are year-to-date registrations to July 2026 as reported by CarsGuide. Source: CarsGuide — Australia''s invisible car giants.*