GWM admits it was 'too slow' as BYD's rise sparks biggest expansion yet

Australia's first Chinese automotive brand has admitted it was "too slow" to capitalise on Australians' growing appetite for Chinese vehicles, with GWM now embarking on its biggest-ever product offensive after being overtaken by BYD.

GWM arrived in Australia in 2009 as the country's first Chinese automotive manufacturer but now admits it failed to recognise just how quickly the market would embrace Chinese vehicles.

Speaking at the launch of the new Ora 5 SUV, GWM Australia chief operating officer John Kett said the company initially lacked the ambition to chase larger sales volumes.

"I think there was a hesitancy," said Kett. "Maybe we were a bit slow."

Kett said GWM spent years trying to convince Australians to buy Chinese-built vehicles at a time when many buyers remained sceptical.

"Who wants a Chinese brand? That's not a ute," he said.

"We were virtually carrying the Chinese flag in terms of the slow build in acceptance for Chinese products. Because that existed, I think it tempered our ambition around how big the volume could be."

While GWM was helping normalise Chinese vehicles in Australia, newer rival BYD rapidly reshaped the market.

Having entered Australia more than a decade after GWM, BYD has overtaken its rival to become Australia's biggest Chinese automotive brand and, following June's VFACTS results, now sits second overall behind Toyota after falling just 243 sales short of the top spot. GWM, meanwhile, occupies seventh.

Rather than criticise the company that leapfrogged it, Kett praised BYD's execution.

"They're an incredible business," he said.

"Quite frankly, everything they've done, they've done well."

Kett credited BYD's success to its early focus on novated leasing, strong product launches and global scale, but said GWM would not attempt to follow the same playbook.

"Let's not out-BYD BYD."

Instead, GWM is betting its biggest-ever model and powertrain rollout will be enough to reignite growth.

Over the next six months, the company will launch new Ora, Haval, Tank, Cannon and Wey models, alongside a significantly broader range of petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, as it targets a top-three position in the Australian market by 2030.

Despite launching in Australia in 2009, GWM believes its biggest growth is still ahead.

"We're still at the beginning of our journey."

The company expects its expanded lineup to lift annual Australian sales to around 90,000 vehicles by 2030, placing it third in the sales charts.

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