Chinese brands will make up almost half of new vehicles sold in Australia within a decade in the most substantial shift in the market since Japanese manufacturers toppled Holden as the country’s most popular cars.

By 2035, 43 per cent of cars imported into the country will come from China, where manufacturers are increasingly at the forefront of a shift towards electric vehicles. Chinese-manufactured cars make up just 17 per cent of sales now, according to the Centre for International Economics, a research firm engaged by automotive dealers to forecast future demand.