2025 will be a year of change in the Australian automotive industry, with at least 10 new brands set to arrive on local shores in addition to the circa-50 already in showrooms.
While there are some players returning after extended breaks from the local market – such as Cadillac and Foton – most will be making their debut in Australia, and fighting to stay alive in our ultra-competitive market.
The 10 brands set to come here include:
- Cadillac
- Deepal
- Foton
- GAC/Aion
- Geely
- Jaecoo
- Leapmotor
- Skywell
- Xpeng
- Zeekr
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Zeekr 7X
With these 10 brands in mind, we’ve shared our thoughts on which we’re keen to see – and how they’ll stack up against the existing competition.
William Stopford: Cadillac and Deepal
Of the over half a dozen brands in the process of launching in Australia or coming during 2025 Cadillac came tantalisingly, frustratingly close to coming to Australia over a decade ago, with parent General Motors pulling the plug at the 11th hour and rerouting vehicles that were destined for our shores.
Cadillac Lyriq
I do wonder how the CTS would have done here as, despite its more luxurious disposition, on paper this V6-powered rear-wheel drive sedan might have been a hard sell over a Holden Calais.
This time around, Cadillac is launching with the Lyriq electric SUV. It undercuts similarly sized German rivals, though whether it undercuts it by enough for a new brand to Australia remains to be seen.
Having driven a US-spec version, I was impressed by the comfort and styling, though it wasn’t perfect. But as someone who has been following the brand closely for over 20 years, it’s exciting to see it finally come here even if GM’s talk of selling in “exclusive volumes” feels appropriately conservative.
Deepal S07
As for the bevy of Chinese brands coming here, I’m most curious about Deepal. While this brand is only young in China and unknown here, it’s part of Chinese automotive giant Changan, one of the four largest carmakers there. It also has the backing of Subaru distributor Inchcape.
Ok, that didn’t help Citroen, but competitive pricing (if steep service pricing) plus attractive styling for the brand’s debut model, the Tesla Model Y-rivalling S07, help Deepal stand out among the crowd… even if technical specifications like its power and DC charging rate aren’t anything to write home about.
Deepal has also suggested it’ll bring the E07 here, this ute-cum-SUV which is among the most fascinating designs to come out of China and vastly more interesting than the often bland transportation pods that market produces.
James Wong: None
The list of brands coming to Australia did little to excite me, and I could barely tell you which upcoming models belong to which brand.
I’m all for more consumer choice, but the influx of Chinese brands all with models that are different combinations of numbers and letters are all a bit meh.
And yes, I know Cadillac is in there – but none of its icons are coming here so I’ll leave the excitement for Will.
Paul Maric: Zeekr
I had the chance to drive the new 009 as part of the drag racing series we’ve been filming and it’s incredible what an expensive Chinese car looks like.
Zeekr 009
Normally Chinese cars are associated with cheaper vehicles and value for money, but for more expensive vehicles like the 009 you are literally getting everything, even the kitchen sink.
Brands from Chinese manufacturers are now well-regarded in Australia and I think we’ll see a shift of punters more willing to spend more money on luxury brands from China.
Jack Quick: Zeekr
I really want to say none, because all these brands that are coming to Australia are very same same.
Zeekr X
If I really have to choose however, I’d have to pick Zeekr. I was the one to break the news that this brand was coming to Australia earlier this year.
The Zeekr X is a bit of a cutie in person, plus its pricing is pretty competitive compared to its Volvo EX30 twin under the skin.
I also can’t wait to experience the Zeekr 009 people mover because it seems like the kind of car I’d like to be chauffeured in. Stay tuned to the CarExpert YouTube channel because something special is coming.
Jordan Mulach: Cadillac
The agony of choice is real.
I legitimately had to type this out three times as I got confused about which new Chinese EV specialist brand was which, so I’m just going to say Cadillac – but more for what it could bring rather than what it definitely will.
When I hear Cadillac, I don’t think of electric SUVs or even big barges with fins, I think of the Escalade. Unfortunately, Caddy is going to be electric-only in Australia, which feels like a missed opportunity when the Lyriq could balance out the emissions from the Escalade-V.
I’d also love to see the Blackwing models here, but there’s probably a snowball’s chance in hell of that.
Josh Nevett: Jaecoo
Look, I’m not jumping up and down with excitement over any of the confirmed arrivals, but Jaecoo is my pick of the bunch.
The Chery-owned Chinese brand will launch next year with the J7, a luxury leaning mid-sized SUV. It’s the promise of a premium product that piques my interest – Chery is one of the best in the business when it comes to producing a classy cabin on a budget, so I can’t wait to see what Jaecoo does with a bit more cash in the kitty.
Beyond showroom appeal, Jaecoo is quoting big numbers for the J7 PHEV, including EV range of 90 kilometres on the WLTP cycle, and a combined driving range of 1200km. That’s bound to have rivals including Toyota, Mitsubishi and BYD nervous.
The J7 PHEV will join the standard petrol J7, which will also arrive in Australia during the first quarter of 2025.
Max Davies: GAC Aion
Truthfully, I’m not really excited by any of the new brands making their way to Australia.
Aion V
All but one are Chinese brands coming to compete with themselves, and almost all of them are launching with an electric SUV of some description – in some cases with only one model at first. Hardly inspiring, if you ask me.
But if I had to pick one, I’d probably say GAC Aion is the only brand who might be in with a chance of clearing my already low bar of expectation.
The interesting thing about that is that choice has really been guided by the cars they might bring to Australia. Only two of Aion’s cars were said to be joining the brand in launching Down Under, yet another mid-sized electric SUV (Aion V) and the somewhat interesting-looking UT electric hatch.
Aion UT
The latter of the two has at least caught my eye, partly because it could be a fun little hatch, but mostly because it could actually be a feasible competitor to the GWM Ora and MG 4. I think its cute exterior is one of its best features in that regard, but naturally price will be the decider.
Its 1500kg-ish kerb weight doesn’t seem ridiculous (especially in the context of the nearly two-tonne Cupra Born), while 100kW of power with 600km of range could make it quite the versatile little runaround.
Beyond that though, we’ve seen a bunch of other Aion models that genuinely look quite cool like the Hyper SSR and even the Hyper – but of course there’s no concrete word on whether they’ll show up here.
Perhaps my skepticism will be proven wrong, but until one of these brands can bring something to Australia that’s legitimately different to stake a concrete claim in our crowded market, I’ll probably pass on most.
