Chinese newcomer brand JAC has shed some light on just what makes Australia so appealing to China's army of new-car brands, suggesting that a combination of conditions, customers and tough competition makes the country irresistible.
Australia has welcomed a suite of new brands over the past two years, including BYD, Geely, XPeng, Zeekr, Deepal, Leapmotor and more, with many more set to arrive.
Speaking at the unveiling of the JAC T9 Hunter at the Melbourne Motor Show, the General Manager of JAC International, David Zhang, told CarsGuide there were four major drawcards in the Australian market for his brand.
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“Market size and potential is very important. For the pick-ups but also for passenger cars, it’s a big market. This is the first (reason),” Mr Zhang says.
“The second is the (government) policy, it is friendly. You can export (completed) cars, not assemble them here. This is also very good.
“The third one, Australia, I think it is open, diversified. They can accept new brands. (It’s) not conservative compared with some European countries. They have their own auto industry, they have their own brands. Sometimes they are very conservative.
“But Australia, I think, is quite different. It is more open, more inclusive.”
The other major draw, according to JAC, is probably the most surprising one.
The brand's international chief told CarsGuide that it was the informed and often auto-passionate nature of Australian new-car buyers, combined with the presence of the biggest and most successful mainstream brands on the planet, that helped draw JAC in.
It's believed the challenge presented by informed buyers and tough competition will help JAC (and presumably other new entrants) improve their products, their R&D and customer service.
A take on the 'if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere' concept, if you will.
"The industry is very mature and very professional for the customers and for the users. They is a very deep understanding about the car, especially the suspension, the driving experience," he says.
"This market, if they are successful here, they will learn the customer, and also the top players, like Ford, and like Toyota.
"So we think if we play with them, we increase our capability of the R&D, manufacturing, customer service. As I said, it's very important to establish the brand confidence in Australia. So we can (take) this brand credit, the brand assets, to other countries in the world."
JAC currently only has the T9 dual-cab ute in Australia, but it will be followed next year by the T9 Hunter plug-in hybrid ute, and a T9-based SUV. But a broader rollout is planned, tapping into the brand's broader passenger car mix.
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