“It’s going to be tough”: New BYD boss predicts some established auto brands will struggle to survive the Chinese onslaught in Australia

The new boss of BYD in Australia has admitted the existential threat ambitious Chinese brands such as his pose to established auto-makers.

Stephen Collins the Chief Operating Officer of the BYD auto brand in Australia was candid in his acknowledgement of the challenge the likes of BYD, GWM, MG, Geely, Zeekr and Chery pose to some auto brands that have been operating in Australia for decades.

And Collins, who spent long stints at Japanese carmakers Honda and Nissan before joining BYD, admits he has quickly gained an in-depth insight into why BYD is emerging as a such a threat to traditional auto brands.

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“I think it’s tough and it’s going to get tougher [for legacy brands],” Collins predicted.

“There’s maybe nearly 80 brands now, the total market is always 1.2 million [sales] with change, maybe year on year one-two per cent growth.

“So I think, yeah, small brands it’s pretty bloody tough I reckon.”

“I hope [none disappear] because I think competition is good for consumers but I think some are going to find it tough.”

Collins heads a factory-owned operation that assumed distribution control of BYD vehicles in Australia on July 21. He previously spoke to EV Central about the ambitions for the business here.

BYD sales are up 144 per cent year-on-year in the first six months of 2025 thanks to the BYD Shark 6 PHEV ute, Sealion 6 PHEV SUV and the Sealion 7 EV.

It sits eighth on the sales charts, was fifth on sales in the month of June and expects to finish the year seventh overall.

Fellow Chinese brands MG (10^th) and GWM (seventh) are also in the top 10 after the first six months of 2024.

Some traditional top 10 players such as Nissan, Honda and Subaru are noticeable by their absence from the top 10 in 2025.

But the ones Collins thinks are in trouble are the real minnows. About two thirds of brands sold in Australia account for less than one per cent of sales each.

Collins predicted adaptation to the NVES CO2 reduction standard that started enforcement July 1 would also play a role in which brands survive and which don’t.

“It depends a lot on your pipeline and look only the brands will have visibility to their own pipeline, but yeah it’s going to get tougher I think,” he said.

Of course, NVES plays to BYD’s strengths because of its line-up is entirely EV and PHEV.

“I think that NVES is only going to push it, some brands are in a great position some aren’t and there’s a lot in between.”

Collins will soon make his first visit to BYD’s Chinese manufacturing, design and R&D facilities, but he’s already been up close and personal with the company’s executive team led by chairman and president Wang Chuanfu and got an understanding of the brand’s drive and ambition.

They visited Melbourne and Perth this month and Chuanfu handed over the 60,000^th BYD sold in Australia to its new owner.

For Collins, it was a huge insight into BYD and the commitment it has to Australia.

“We visited dealers and that entire team, who runs the global operation and makes all the key investment decisions, was speaking to customers, speaking to sales consultants.

“I, plus a whole lot of other people, and the senior executive team, were … in the car park of Airport West Shopping Centre, talking to customers who were recharging their cars.

“So, to me, that’s really unique. From the top down, it’s a humble organisation, but I think it’s an organisation that is hungry to really know what customers want.

“That’s just a really visible example that I’ve seen in the short term. And I think what that does is that delivers speed to development.

“It delivers speed to making decisions. It just gives this energy to get things done. And that’s what I see.”

Collins said the advanced and highly competitive Australian new vehicle market made it a key one for BYD.

“I don’t know the situation with other markets. But I think the attention we’re getting and the co-operation we’re getting is second to none.”

BYD Australia will launch four new models by early 2026. Two of them – the BYD Atto 2 compact electric SUV and BYD Sealion 8 three-row PHEV SUV – have already been named.