Mobile Tyre Shop lands $5m from Chinese giant Sailun, pushing valuation to more than $45m

As more Chinese EVs roll into Australia, Mobile Tyre Shop has secured a cornerstone investment from China’s Sailun Group as global trade shifts in the fallout of Donald Trump’s tariff war.

Mobile Tyre Shop founder Travis Osborne say Sailun tyres are on many of the new Chinese EV brands coming to Australia.

Mobile Tyre Shop has secured $5m from China’s Sailun Group as it accelerates its e-commerce offering and pounces on demand from cheap Chinese electric vehicles rolling into Australia.

The deal values the tyre outfit, founded by Travis Osborne in 2012 and backed by Melbourne investment banker and corporate adviser David Williams, at more than $45m.

Sailun’s Singapore-based subsidiary, Sailun International Holding, partnered with Mobile Tyre Shop and will take an 11.09 per cent stake in the company.

It signed the deal after it was caught in US President Donald Trump’s trade war. The superpower brawl had escalated to 145 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods entering the US and 125 per cent tariffs on US goods entering China, but both have now been cut by 115 per cent in a 90-day pause in hostilities.

Still, companies are hedging their bets. Sailun began making tyres in 2002, and has factories in China and Vietnam, servicing passenger cars, SUVs, light and medium trucks and off-road vehicles. The deal with Mobile Tyre Shop will establish Sailun’s presence in Australia and create a “strategic springboard into the Asia Pacific market for both brands”.

Mobile Tyre Shop chief executive Travis Osbourne.

Mr Osborne said Sailun’s investment would help increase Mobile Tyre Shop’s network to more than 100 vans, and boost its marketing and national support team.

“We are incredibly proud to announce this strategic partnership,” he said. “Sailun tyres are the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) on many of the new Chinese EV brands coming to Australia.”

Consumer demand for mobile tyre fitting increased from 13 per cent of the market pre-pandemic to 37 per cent, according to an investor presentation seen by The Australian.

Mobile Tyre Shop is also aiming to capitalise on growing demand for electric vehicles, which represent 9.2 per cent of all new car sales in Australia, increasing 121 per cent year-on-year.

As Mr Trump imposes tariffs on Chinese imports, Australia – with its 10-year-old free trade agreement with Beijing and therefore no trade barriers – has become a haven for Guangzhou-made electric vehicles. Brands including XPeng, Zeekr, Leapmotor and Aion have opened dealerships across Australian capital cities, with some expanding to regional areas.

Mr Williams – best known for orchestrating the $460m deal that returned Vegemite to Australian ownership via Bega Cheese’s acquisition of Mondelez’s grocery business – said the Sailun partnership would also allow Mobile Tyre Shop to better service its Australian customers.

Mobile Tyre Shop chairman David Williams. Picture: NewsWire / Ian Currie

It has just signed a deal with the Queensland government to service more than 2500 vehicles from Brisbane to Cooktown.

“The Sailun range allows us to have a preferred supplier arrangement with a global brand,” Mr Williams said. “This investment in part was facilitated by the US tariff regime which has pushed many companies to look at alternative countries for their products.

“Many tyre retailers are integrating online booking systems with instore fitting services to adapt, blending digital convenience with physical expertise. Mobile Tyre Shop, for instance, is expanding its fleet to meet rising demand for mobile tyre-fitting services, highlighting a broader industry shift towards hybrid retail models.”

Mobile Tyre Shop has also used Apple’s Claris FileMaker platform to overhaul its enterprise resource planning system after its previous version “hindered innovation and constrained growth”.

“Mobile Tyre Shop developed a comprehensive business operating system using FileMaker,” Mr Williams said. “Technicians now use a mobile app to manage appointments, inventory is tracked with barcodes, and artificial intelligence-driven SMS communications enhance the customer experience.

“FileMaker integrations extend to platforms like eBay and Google Analytics, while internal systems support HR, finance, and even live chat. This bespoke tech ecosystem ensures seamless operations and empowers staff across departments with the data and tools they need to perform at their best.

“The adaptability of their platform not only enabled Mobile Tyre Shop to recover from its initial ERP setback, but also positioned it as a tech-forward leader in its space. Today, the company continues to explore emerging technologies – like AI and OCR – with plans to integrate Claris Studio into customer-facing tools.”

Originally published as Mobile Tyre Shop lands $5m from Chinese giant Sailun, pushing valuation to more than $45m