All the new Chinese car brands headed to Australia

Several Chinese makers have firmly established themselves Down Under and now the next wave of manufacturers are preparing to take Australia by storm.

A new Chinese rival to the Toyota Prado could soon be on our roads.

Little known brand Changan will build its tough Deepal 4WD for right-hand drive markets according to UK publication Autocar.

Changan has plans to build its Deepal 4WD in right-hand drive.

Details are scarce but early reports suggest the Deepal will be built on a rugged ladder frame, which underpins hardcore machines such as the Toyota LandCruiser and Prado.

It is also expected to come with hybrid power, using a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and two electric motors found in the brand’s current Chinese market vehicles.

Autocar says the vehicles will be built in a new Thailand factory, which bodes well for an Australian launch.

The Deepal will be built in Thailand.

Thailand is a manufacturing hub for some of Australia’s favourite four-wheel drive utes such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Mitsubishi Triton.

Chinese car makers are increasingly choosing to launch in Australia as their popularity grows.

China is now the third biggest export of cars to Australia behind only Japan and Thailand.

MG is now firmly established as a top 10 selling brand in the country and GWM, Haval, BYD and LDV are all experiencing booming sales.

The Deepal will be built on a rugged ladder frame.

Other Chinese makers that are forging ahead with right-hand drive machines including Nio, Lynk and Co and Zeekr.

Nio is an electric only car maker that allows for the battery in its cars to be swapped to avoid lengthy recharging times.

Lynk and Co has plans to launch by 2025.

Electric car maker Lynk and Co announced in 2021 that it was targeting a 2025 launch for its cars in Australia.

In Europe, Lynk and Co is trialling a subscription model, where customers pay a monthly fee for use. The flat fee includes insurance, registration and roadside assistance.

Lynk and Co is owned by Geely, which also owns Volvo and Polestar. Its vehicles will use the same hardware as those brands.

Geely also owns Zeekr, which has plans for the UK and likely Australia, too.

Zeekr recently showed off a new battery that can charge at an astronomical rate, adding 500km of range in 15 minutes.

Zeekr has developed the current fastest charging car battery.

The new battery can accept a charge rate of up to 500kW. Currently the highest rate of charge offered on an electric car is 350kW by Hyundai, Kia and Porsche.

Haval also recently revealed its new H9 large seven-seat 4WD, which is likely to be offered in Australia in the future. Haval has quite an extensive range of vehicles on sale in Australia and the previous version of the H9 was sold here until recently.

New Chinese brands such as Chery say Australia is an important market as it is highly competitive and lets them test the waters before expanding to other larger western markets.

Originally published as All the new Chinese car brands headed to Australia