Five most expensive Chinese cars available in Australia

Aussies are paying more than $100,000 for some Chinese-made cars, which are far from cheap and cheerful

While Japan remains Australia’s biggest source of imported new cars, followed by Thailand, sales of Chinese-made vehicles almost doubled in 2022 and overtook Korean-built cars for the first time this year.

And with brands like GWM and MG filling the void left by former budget brands like Kia and Suzuki, and many more Chinese brands on the local horizon, it appears that trend will continue as car-makers in the world’s most populous nation target a wider range of segments and price points in the Aussie auto market.

There are already a handful of seriously high-tech and super-luxurious Chinese-built cars available in Australia, and we’re not talking about the battery-electric Polestar 2 and Tesla Model Y and Model 3 – the nation’s top-selling EVs.

The upmarket push of Chinese brands will continue locally with the introduction of EV-makers like Nio and Lynk & Co, and premium vehicles like the Toyota Prado-fighting GWM Tank 500, but for now here are five of the most expensive Chinese branded and manufactured models available Down Under so far.

LDV Mifa 9 EV Luxe – $131,000

The stereotype of Chinese cars being cheap and nasty will almost certainly be quashed when you step inside the LDV Mifa EV Luxe.

Australia’s most expensive Chinese car is priced from $131,000 and is a large luxury seven-seat electric van. But why is it so expensive?

Well, the Mifa EV offers a very high level of luxury, including heated, ventilated and massaging seats in the first and second rows – the latter being ultra-cushy captain’s seats.

The middle-row seats even feature individual touch-screens integrated into the arm rests to control their seats, cabin climate and an electronically operated sunroof, plus there’s a built-in tray table.

The business-class experience is enhanced by the fitment of a 12-speaker premium audio system, a full leather interior, adjustable cabin LED lighting and an air purifier.

The front-wheel drive EV is powered by a single electric motor (180kW/350Nm) hooked up to a big 90kWh NMC lithium-ion battery that provides up to 430km of driving range and propels the van to 100km/h in nine seconds.

LDV Deliver 9 – $118,836

Delivery drivers who want a large, high-roof, long-wheelbase commercial van that never needs to be fuelled up at the petrol station should check out the LDV Deliver 9 electric van.

But this Chinese van ain’t cheap and its eye-watering price heads north of $120,000 once on-road costs are added, making it more expensive than any Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van you can buy.

Powered by an 88.5kWh battery that takes around 45 minutes to charge from 20 to 80 per cent using a DC fast-charger, its cruising range is not exactly spectacular at 275km and it can only tow 1500kg due to its relatively modest front-mounted single e-motor (150kW/310Nm)

Electric vans are clearly still in their infancy but are expected to be a common sight by the end of the decade.

LDV eT60 dual-cab ute – $92,990

LDV wants to set the EV agenda in Australia and doesn’t mind selling high-priced models to make its mark here but the circa-$93,000 LDV eT60 electric ute is best described as an expensive mess. After our first drive, we rated it just 50/100 largely because it feels like a hastily cobbled-together ute.

That whopping price tag should ensure plenty of luxurious features and special equipment but it doesn’t have any form of cruise control, no autonomous emergency braking (AEB) or blind spot monitoring and you can forget traffic sign recognition or lane keep assist.

You do get rain-sensing wipers, electric seats and a rear parking camera but it’s definitely no head turner and its single rear-mounted engine (130kW/310Nm) only drives the rear wheels. An 88.5kWh lithium-ion battery is good for a 330km range before going flat. While the LDV eT60’s price isn’t justified that doesn’t mean it’s a bad car necessarily, it just doesn’t live up to todays standards in a world where EV’s are advancing very rapidly.

GWM Tank 300 Ultra Hybrid – $60,990

Priced from $60,999 drive-away, the GWM Tank 300 Ultra Hybrid is a five-seat mid-size SUV with serious off-road capability. And its Ford Bronco-like exterior design and Mercedes-Benz G wagon-inspired interior makes for a very interesting combination.

Some of its creature comforts are reminiscent of the G-Class, such as the gaudy leather-upholstered cabin with cooled, heated and massaging front seats – features found in some of the most high-end luxury cars, so that makes the $61K Tank pretty special.

The powerplant for the Tank 300 is a responsive 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine backed by an e-motor, pumping through a nine-speed automatic that drives all four wheels. Peak outputs are 215kW and 615Nm, which are pretty big number in anyone’s language.

MG4 X-Power

No, this one’s not on sale here just yet, but we’re driving the MG4 X-Power in China this week and when the all-electric hot hatch arrives Down Under later this year we expect it to cost close to $70,000.

That should make the flagship of the new MG4 range something of a bargain compared to Tesla, Kia and Volvo EVs offering similar performance, with a 330kW/600Nm dual-motor powertrain making it capable of hitting 100km/g in just 3.8sec.

The monstrous powertrain is sustained by the same 64kWh lithium-ion battery as seen in other MG4 variants, yielding a claimed CLTC driving range of up to 460km.

But MG Motor Australia will hit new performance and pricing heights when it launches the MG Cyberster electric roadster, which makes its world debut at Goodwood next month – almost two decades after China’s giant state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation took over the storied British brand in 2005.

The Cyberster will be unlike any MG before it, packing up to 400kW from a dual-motor powertrain and incorporating standard features like an electric-powered folding roof, Brembo brakes, scissor doors and leather seat trim.

That could mean a price tag as high as $100,000, but entry-level single-motor versions with around 230kW will be cheaper and all Cybersters should undercut two-seat sportscars with comparable performance, including the BMW Z4 and Porsche Boxster.

Unlike budget rear-drive roadsters like the old MG TF and the Mazda MX-5, the Cyberster is a bona-fide showstopper with a racy design that hasn’t gone too far down the sci-fi path like some Chinese sports car designs.

The sportiest Chinese car to date is expected to be released here by 2025, so while it may come with a hefty price tag there is plenty of time to save up.