These are the ten most influential car brands in Australia. Do you agree?

4 Comments

1. 

   Andrew Wynn on 3 March 2026 at 12:09

   A really enjoyable article and a great discussion topic that would fuel many opinions and late night arguments.
   I agree with your first 8, but not sure about the last 2, which you indicate was a dilemma for yourself. Certainly how the top 2 Korean brands respond to the challenge from the Chinese brands will be interesting to watch and will influence the whole market.
   Slightly off brief but other big influencers within the market, although not specifically car brands, will be the bigger finance & leasing companies, and also the bigger dealer groups.
   Given the increasing miriad of ownership, financing, & purchase models such as consumer leases and subscription options will shape the industry in to the future.
   The large dealer groups (public and private) are getting bigger all the time, so the brands they decide to take-on will be a big factor in terms of who thrives and who wains. As well as the retailing models & initiatives they decide to adopt across their groups. And with their size, they have the ability to create national used vehicle franchises which will impact the industry.
   I’ve been in the car industry for 40 years and this is why I love it …. it is always changing, always a new challenge!
   Thanks again for an interesting read. Cheers

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     Mike Sinclair on 3 March 2026 at 13:23

     A great observation, Andrew. The listed dealer groups have the critical mass to pick and choose the OEMS they work with… We’ve actually asked execs from those types of business to tell us what they are looking at and for when they choose OEMs to work with. So far, they’ve declined to speak with TheAutoExec on the record. But I can say the conversations have been fascinating…

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2. 

   Gary Buck on 3 March 2026 at 16:15

   A great read – I think that extending it to 10 is a bit of a struggle. I’d cut the list to 5 and drop Ford and nudge Geely into #5. Then those 5 will be the ones that drive things, excuse the pun

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3. 

   Alexander Corne on 5 March 2026 at 10:32

   Don’t shoot me. but if jaGuar (facepalms) gets the Type 00 into production and it looks as good on the road as I think it might (when painted in “old School” BRG ), I think it might actually give them some influence over the future of the EV Luxe industry. A LOT of ifs in that, but just maybe. Gerry McGovern has been super successful with Range Rover as a brand.

   Also I would like to point out that Heather, Lavender and Pale Primrose were popular XJ6 and E-Type colours back in the 1970s. Google them.

   Reply