BYD Australia says it’s looking into every product across the automaker’s global product portfolio – from city hatches to Ferrari-chasing supercars – as it builds its local lineup to boost sales.
Former Honda Australia director Stephen Collins was appointed BYD Australia chief operating officer last month, ahead of the company taking over Australian distribution from EVDirect on July 1, 2025.
Speaking to CarExpert in China, BYD Australia product lead Sajid Hasan – who spent decades working with market-leading Toyota and Lexus – has said the local branch is evaluating the full, extensive catalogue of BYD models offered overseas.
“Nothing’s off the table – there’s a wide gamut of products for us to choose from,” Mr Hasan told CarExpert.
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ABOVE: Yangwang U9 electric hypercar
This includes vehicles from its premium Denza arm – set to officially launch here late in 2025 – as well as the Yangwang and Fangchengbao brands, even if they may not wear the same badge in Australia as they do in China.
BYD Australia chief marketing officer Kate Hornstein said the brand’s sales success here – having sold almost 60,000 vehicles in its first 30 months on sale – has been driven simply by adding more products in larger segments.
“I think it’s come from the fact that we’ve now plugged into more segments, and those segments are larger pieces of the pie,” Ms Hornstein told CarExpert.
“Our sales are largely driven by Shark and SUV, and those are our DM [plug-in hybrid] technologies, so I think it’s no secret Shark has been an enormous success for the brand.
“Australia was a critical market for that launch, and it’s great to see that because the other thing I would say is that our EV sales have also grown, and that’s really driven by Sealion 7.”
ABOVE: The BYD Seagull, sold in Europe as the Dolphin Surf
The Sealion 7 electric SUV, launched earlier this year, is now the brand’s third-best seller in Australia behind the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Shark 6 ute and Sealion 6 SUV.
“What I’ve seen from my perspective is that the customers really embrace the new entrants, and the three models we’ve launched in the last 12 months have really driven the bulk of our growth,” said Ms Hornstein.
Following the same ‘plug into segments’ philosophy will see BYD Australia dealers – and Denza showrooms – stocked with more from the company’s broad global catalogue.
Across the four brands, the Chinese car giant makes everything from the compact BYD Seagull city car – declared a renewed candidate for local showrooms after an early 2025 tech upgrade – and family SUVs, through to the tank-turning, crab-walking 300+km/h Yangwang U9 supercar.
ABOVE: Denza D9
More immediately, the Australian arm has confirmed the BYD Atto 2 small electric SUV will arrive in late 2025 as a competitor to the Kia EV3 and Hyundai Kona electric SUVs.
BYD also announced its first seven-seat SUV – the Sealion 8 PHEV – for local showrooms in early 2026.
While these fill some obvious gaps in BYD’s lineup, there are other vehicles that could be slotted in.
BYD has a mid-size SUV, the Sealion 5, which aligns more closely in size with the Toyota RAV4 – the best-selling SUV here 2024 and into 2025 – than the existing Sealion 6.
ABOVE: Denza Z9 GT
There’s also the Fangchengbao B5, a body-on-frame off-roader to take on the Toyota LandCruiser Prado and Ford Everest, which could be sold here under the less tongue-twisting Denza name.
The Denza brand is expected to launch around October 2025 with a suite of vehicles, including the already-confirmed D9 people-mover – a rival to the Zeekr 009 – which could be joined by the Lincoln-esque, broad-shouldered N9 full-size SUV.
Australian media have been shown the Denza Z9 GT, a large five-door liftback with a silhouette reminiscent of a Porsche Panamera and offered in electric and – more likely for Australia – plug-in hybrid powertrains.
While BYD vehicles like the T3 van had been offered previously, it was the launch of the Atto 3 electric SUV in 2022 that kickstarted the brand’s rapid ascent in the Australian market.
ABOVE: Fangchengbao B5, likely to be renamed if it goes on sale in Australia
It subsequently added the mid-size Seal electric sedan and small Dolphin electric hatch, and more recently the Sealion 6 PHEV and Sealion 7 EV SUVs.
The company made history in June 2025 by becoming the first Chinese brand to crack the top five best-selling auto brands in Australia.
Its most popular model year-to-date is the Shark 6 – a dual-cab PHEV ute taking buyers off the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
To the end of June, BYD is among the top 10 best-selling brands in Australia, sitting at eighth with 23,355 deliveries – up 144.6 per cent compared with the first half of 2024.
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