Mazda welcomes more competition from Chinese brands

A strong 2026 product line-up and established network should keep Mazda towards the top of the charts despite Chinese brand surge.

Mazda Australia is unperturbed by the rise of Chinese brands that are now firmly entrenched in Top 10, but it remains to be seen if the Japanese marque can maintain its Top 3 positioning this year.

Of the Chinese brands in the Top 10, which includes BYD, MG, and GWM, all undercut mainstream rivals with their products and have made their way up the sales charts by stealing sales from Japanese and European players.

However, speaking to Drive, Mazda Australia boss Vinesh Bhindi said increased competition is healthy for the open market, and that the Japanese brand can hold its fair share of volume.

“Australia has always been open to as many options in competitors, especially in the car industry,” Bhindi said.

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“And brands come and go too, right? We are a brand that has been in Australia since 1959, and we have our fans and when I look at our broad portfolio, our established dealer partners that provide a very high level of service to their communities, our plan and our thinking still remains around that 90-to-100,000 [sales volume].

“Saying all of that, Australia is also a growing population country, a lot of migration, a lot of natural growth, and the market in the last couple of years has finished at about 1.2 million or above.

“There’s modest growth, but it’s holding.”

Bhindi explained Mazda’s established network and brand recognition are boons compared to newer brands, as well as incoming new products to keep its showrooms fresh.

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“Having options is great, and the newer brands – wherever they’re from, it doesn’t matter – they’ll still have to establish their products, they’ll still have to establish their brands, their network, their fanbase, a residual value, aftermarket support, etc,” Bhindi said.

“Many brands have had to that for years and decades, and it’s not a plug-and-play, you have to work at it.

“We are very, very much comfortable with where we are and our products coming, but competition is good, always keeps everybody else sharp.

“If you are asking me if I’m worried about any particular brand, let alone Chinese brands, no.”

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Having established its Large Platform products with the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80, and CX-90 in recent years, Mazda Australia will this year turn its attention to two all-electric models and a new-generation of its best-seller.

Launching around the middle of the year will be the Mazda 6e electric vehicle (EV) and third-generation CX-5, followed by the CX-6e later in 2026.

For the first quarter of the year, Mazda has sold 21,890 new vehicles according to VFACTS data, which is 12.9 per cent down over the same period in 2025.

This currently places the Japanese brand second on the year-to-date sales charts, ahead of Kia (20,630) and Ford (20,172).

The nearest Chinese brands to Mazda’s 2026 tally are BYD and GWM, on 17,541 and 14,878 sales respectively.

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