RobotBelt Monthly Auto Tracker — Australia — July 2026

1. The Ranking

2. Three Signals

Signal 1

• Fact: BYD held second with 7,857 units, but Toyota’s 20,409 left it 2.6 times behind after June’s near-tie.
• Read: The June dead-heat was a one-off. Toyota’s end-of-financial-year surge reasserted the lead, but BYD’s 70.5% growth keeps it clear second.

Signal 2

• Fact: China-badged brands took 29.5% of the Australian market in July 2026 (25.6% excluding MG).
• Read: The share slipped from June’s 33.3% as Toyota’s surge and the Tesla rebound diluted the mix, but the China bloc still owns close to a third.

Signal 3

• Fact: Chery (with Omoda and Jaecoo) reached 6,750 units combined, Geely nearly octupled to 3,685, and Zeekr jumped to 2,115.
• Read: The challenger bench is deep and accelerating. Geely, Zeekr and Omoda Jaecoo all more than tripled year on year.

3. The Take

Australia’s new-car market just posted its best July ever, 108,577 deliveries, and the headline beneath the record is the one that has been building for two years. China-badged brands took 29.5% of the market in July 2026 (25.6% without MG). Close to a third of every new car now wears a Chinese badge.

This is not a single-brand story, and it is not a one-month spike. BYD held a clear second with 7,857 units, up 70.5% year on year. Chery (with Omoda and Jaecoo) landed 6,750 combined. Geely nearly octupled to 3,685. Zeekr jumped to 2,115. MG added 4,284. A recall or a tariff on one name would not dent this curve.

Toyota is not asleep. Its 20,409 sales in July were down 6.0% but still 2.6 times BYD, powered by the RAV4 and HiLux. Ford, Mazda, Hyundai and Mitsubishi all fell double digits. The incumbents are leaning on utes and hybrids while the Chinese take the electrified passenger segments the majors have not defended.

The question for the legacy brands is whether a 29.5% China share that holds through the seasonal dips is still a blip or already the new normal. The July number says June’s near-tie was the exception. The trend says the takeover is the rule.