New-car showrooms are a buyer’s paradise in 2026, according to someone who knows.
He is Stephen Collins, once the top Aussie at Honda Australia and now in the driver’s seat at BYD.
If you haven’t heard much yet about BYD you will – very soon.
The Chinese brand is only three years into its Australian adventure and already has a Top 10 sales ranking, with a bullet.
Its newest arrivals are both in the family SUV heartland, the Sealion 5 and Sealion 8, matching the Australian appetite for plug-in hybrids with the demand for value pricing and plenty of equipment.
They both drive well enough against their rivals – although nothing special – with plenty of ‘bells and whistles’ and definitely a box tick for pricing. There are some obvious quality glitches, as I discovered recently at a preview drive in Victoria, but nothing to force a total re-think unless you’re shopping against a top-ender from Toyota or Mazda or Hyundai.
The seven-seater Sealion 8 is the front-runner, with the promise of “big car performance, small car fuel economy”.
Neither has a spare tyre, and the Sealion 5 is missing a 5-Star ANCAP rating – officially it’s ‘unrated’ by the Canberra safety squad – with pricing from $33,990 for the five-seater and $56,990 for the seven-seater.
But the Sealions are only the start for ’26, with a total of eight new models on their way.
“We’re going to keep this tsunami of new models coming. It’s a pivotal time for us,” said Collins, who was recruited as chief operating officer in Australia because of his experience locally with Honda. He has recruited more than 100 new staff since BYD took over direct distribution down under and plans to double the dealer network after severing the servicing tie-up with mycar Tyre & Auto – formerly K-Mart Auto – which was seen as a barrier to buyer confidence.
“This is a brand that is changing the landscape. It’s really shaking up the automotive industry,” said Collins.
“Our trajectory of growth is very obvious. What’s driving our growth is clearly new models. We think we’re going to go from good to great in 2026.”
For background, BYD started at position 16 in the Australian sales rankings, jumped to number eight at the end of 2025, and was sixth in January, according to official VFacts sales totals.
“It’s a pivotal time for us. We’re a big part of this changing landscape,” said Collins.
BYD is one of the supercharged brands from China, alongside GWM and MG, and the company’s long-term ambition is to surpass Toyota to be #1 down under.
It’s not something Collins will talk about, just as he would prefer people forget all about the original ‘Build Your Dreams’ tagline for the company.
It’s hard to know exactly what to expect from BYD, but its baby Atto 1 promises a massive shake-up in the electric-car ranks. Priced from $23,990, it’s the first time there has been a battery-electric with a sub-$25,000 pricetag to give a direct competitor to entry-level combustion cars. It’s yet to hit the road but has already generated plenty of interest.
That’s typical of BYD, as well of the other Chinese challenger brands.
“It’s a buyer’s paradise. There is more choice than ever before. There are 79 brands,” said Collins.
“It’s a great time to buy a car. There are some challenges, but also great opportunities.”
At BYD, things are shifting into top gear and what it calls ‘Super Hybrids’ and New-Energy Vehicles, which combine more than 100 kilometres of pure battery range with genuine combustion flexibility, are helping it to make big gains.
But there is much more to come, including Denza. So you know, just as Toyota has Lexus and Hyundai has Genesis, Denza is the upscale sub-brand at BYD and is fired by the same enthusiasm as the rest of the family.