Waiting for the Aussie Boom!

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Last Updated on: 15th March 2025, 04:39 am

I must admit that looking at the monthly stats can be a little discouraging sometimes. The Australian EV penetration rate has dropped yet again in February 2025. The only bright spot seems to be the BYD PHEV Shark. Is there an Aussie Boom on the horizon?

The BYD Shark is being bought by real ute drivers. They are not inner-city greenie tree huggers, but rough & tough Aussies who appreciate a real truck. To make the point, a group of Shark owners organised a trip to the beach. At one point, they even had to help some poor fossil fuelled vehicle to get out of the wet sand. And a good time was had by all. In February, the BYD Shark made #11 on the top sellers list — it even outsold the Isuzu D Max.

Year on year, the Australian new-car market dropped by 7.9% in February. Toyota and Ford were the major losers. (Did the Shark take a bite with its 2,026 deliveries?) Almost 97,000 vehicles were delivered. Of this number, 5,684 were BEVs and 4,871 were PHEVs (an incredible 346% increase). Tesla had another poor month. Debate rages about the reason why: Is it waiting for the Model Y refresh? Is it Elon’s controversial support for Donald Trump? Is it the greater competition? I would suggest it is a combination of all three. The March figures will tell the story more clearly, as historically the third month of the quarter is when Tesla’s deliveries are highest.

Of course, the politically motivated auto lobby group had to have a go at the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard. “We are now two months into the Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, and while the supply of battery electric vehicles has risen dramatically, consumer demand has fallen by 37 per cent this year compared with the first two months of 2024,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber. There are now 88 BEV models to choose from.

February saw another increase in HEV sales — about 35% — prompting the observation that most Australians don’t have “a fundamental loathing for drive trains that include a battery and electric motor.” Fear of change? Mistrust of new technology? (HEVS have been around for 25 years) and a heapin’ helping of misinformation.

So, why did I say I was waiting for an Aussie boom, an explosion. My reasoning goes like this: more and more brands and vehicles are launching in Australia. All the pressure is building. We are seeing more advertising. At some point, inventory will have to be cleared and the price war will be even more visceral than it is now, until suddenly the average Australian will realise how cheap and how good these cars are, then BOOM. At the recent Everything Electric show, it is reported that a record 31,069 people turned up and participated in 6,402 test drives.

We’re still waiting to see how many of these test drives turn into sales.

Let’s have a look at the league tables. First, the overall market:

1. Toyota RAV 4 — 4405
2. Ford Ranger — 4040
3. Toyota Hi Lux — 3616
4. Toyota Prado — 2723
5. Mitsubishi Outlander — 2385 (Note: some of these would be PHEVs.)
6. BYD Shark 6 — 2026 — only launched this year.

What about the electrics? The first figure is February sales, the second is year to date:

1. Tesla Model Y — 924; 1389
2. Tesla Model 3 — 668; 942
3. MG MG4 — 451; 891
4. MG ZS EV — 432; 506
5. Kia EV5 — 400; 689
6. BYD Sealion 7 — 157; 157 new to market
7. BYD Atto 3 — 138; 243
8. BMW iX1 — 137; 260
9. Volvo EX30 — 108; 211
10. Zeekr X — 98; first month of figures — straight into the top ten
11. Ford Mustang Mach-E — 96; 125

To put a positive spin on the low Tesla numbers, it is worth noting that Tesla still held both the first and second positions in February 2025, and also for the year. The numbers for the Y and the 3 equal more than the rest of the top ten combined. Sales of Teslas doubled from January to February.

Other recent launches that are starting to show in the charts: the Polestar 4 managed to sell 83 units; the Toyota bZ4X had 66 (and 8 Solterra); and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 had 65 . The Chery Omoda E5 sold 67. The GWM ORA is limping along with 44 sales, being massively outsold by the MG4. Leapmotor is finding it hard to gain traction, with only 29 sales. The Jeep Avenger has found its niche, but it is a very small one — only 3 units were sold in February.

What of next month, will we see the Cadillac in our Australian charts? I have been in touch with their Australian sales manager, who tells me: “We’re also looking forward to seeing you when we open our Experience Centre in Brisbane later this year and to having you test drive the Cadillac Lyriq.” That will be an experience to look forward to.

New-to-Australia Chinese brands are finding their pace, with Zeekr X selling 98 units in February. There appear to be no numbers for the Xpeng G6. However, the Facebook group is full of satisfied customers taking delivery, and one owner who regularly comes to our coffee mornings. “Maybe two boatloads” is the current speculation, but no definite numbers. The Geely also X5 has just launched, it should also hit the charts next month.

I would like to share a carpark conversation with you. Recently, when picking up my grandchildren from school, a ’70s muscle car parked next to me. The driver and I enjoyed a conversation. He was driving a car from my youth — a Holden (GM) Monaro. We shared stories, concluding with his admission that if we had a “drag,” my Tesla Model 3 SR would certainly win. To me, it’s great that enthusiasts keep these cars on the road, and are open minded enough to have a civilised discussion. Car people are car people after all.

Although sales are down for electric vehicles in Australia, the provision of charging seems to continue. The market knows where this is going. A nearby shopping centre has covered its car park in panels and installed car chargers! The future continues to be electric, even in these uncertain times.