The next Chinese car brand to reach Australia could be Forthing, a division of auto giant Dongfeng, planning a range of electric and hybrid models – including a Geely EX5 rival.
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Chinese car giant Dongfeng is closing in on a launch in Australia as soon as the end of this year with a Geely EX5 competitor priced from about $40,000 to $45,000.
One of China's largest automotive manufacturers, Dongfeng's entry into Australia is set to come via its Forthing brand, a maker of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.
Forthing is in the process of selecting an Australian distributor, a company representative told Australian media, to sell its first model for local showrooms, the Friday mid-size SUV.
It plans to commence production in late October, coinciding with a showing at the Melbourne electric-vehicle show, before deliveries begin at the end of the year, or early in 2026.
However, its launch plans are yet to be locked in, and details such as prices and the showroom network are yet to be announced.
Forthing has set modest initial expectations for Australia, hoping to launch with a handful of dealers – alongside a larger network of display showrooms – without the bold sales ambitions of Chery and BYD.
"We almost finished the homologation, the ADR [motor vehicle rules] homologation in Australia," Kim Qin, the Right-Hand-Drive Deputy Director of Import and Export Company at Forthing's parent firm, Dongfeng Lizhou Motor, told Australian media at the Munich motor show.
"I think we will launch our production at the end of October, because you have a very famous automotive show in Melbourne," she said, referencing an electric-vehicle show opening October 31.
Electric and range-extender plug-in hybrid versions of the Friday are planned for the Australian market, she said, though of the two, seemingly only the former is available in Europe.
Qin named the BYD Atto 3 and Leapmotor C10 when asked about pricing, adding "we are lower than the Atto 3."
It would place the Forthing SUV in the same realm as the $39,990 to $44,990 plus on-road costs BYD Atto 3, though the executive poured cold water on an RRP below $40,000.
"Every company has to meet the same requirements – the ADR of Australia, the tax of Australia, the margin of the importer and the dealer. If you use less [profit] margin, no one will want to sell the car for you ... Everybody's struggling [with] prices."
The Friday is a mid-size SUV similar in size to the Geely EX5 or petrol Mazda CX-5. In Austria, it is powered by an 86kWh battery and a single 150kW/340Nm front electric motor for a claimed 371km driving range in European WLTP testing.
Specifications published in Fiji list the same 150kW/340Nm motor with a 64.4kWh lithium iron phosphate battery for a 425km claimed range – likely in less stringent NEDC lab testing – and 80kW DC charging power.
Prices are expected to be announced at the Melbourne EV show in late October, or when orders open shortly after, with customer deliveries "possible" to follow by Christmas, she said.
"Maybe some company, they do some very good management, and they can know what the client needs, such as the colour, the specification and if they can give us in advance, then the lead time will [be] under one month ... and also two or three weeks to transfer from China to Australia."
Due to follow the Friday is the U-Tour, a mid-size people mover planned to offer plug-in hybrid and electric power, even though it is not currently sold with either.
"They will change the face. The same platform, and with the right-hand drive, and maybe have the BEV [fully electric] and plug-in hybrid."
Four models will make up Forthing showrooms by 2030 – compared to 16 globally – which may include a ute.
"We are working on that. We have the research and development about the car," she said, though when asked if it would be a dual-cab rather than a single-cab, Qin replied: "Maybe that's a problem. We need to discuss with the engineer."
Forthing's entry into Australia was initially linked to a Sydney-based vehicle reseller and home EV charger maker, IGZEV, which is preparing to sell the vehicle in Fiji.
Qin said IGZEV has simply bought a vehicle from Forthing, imported it and "post[ed] that he is already the distributor for Fiji" when no agreement has been signed.
Asked who will be Forthing's Australian distributor, she said: "We have some choice at this moment. Maybe the IGZEV. There is a big group company...".
Quizzed on whether she is referring to Ateco, Qin replied "yes", cautioning it is not a done deal and that "we just discussed."
An Ateco spokesperson said when asked about the comments: "The Ateco Group is regularly in discussions with emerging and existing brands regarding the distribution of motor vehicles in Australia and New Zealand, but does not comment on discussions, proposals or speculation."
Asked if there are other options being considered, she said: "Yes, some very new group, you know, from before, in the beginning, BYD – someone bring the BYD to Australia, it is a very small group."
Qin was not clear on whether she was referencing BYD's just-succeeded local importer EVDirect, her description suggesting so, but telling media it is "someone else."
EVDirect managing director Luke Todd told Drive "I can 100 per cent categorically say that I, or any company I manage will not be representing Dongfeng," and that "I am 100 per cent loyal for life to BYD".
Todd's comment appears to rule out a deal between Forthing and his earlier company, Nexport, out of which EVDirect was spun.
"I can only take this as a compliment. The amount of brands that have falsely said I am going to represent them is now quite a long list ... I have had 10+ Chinese brands approach me to replicate what we did with BYD and I’ve turned them all down," Todd told Drive.
Qin said: "We have to decide [on a distributor] within this month."
"If someone wants to be the distributor of us, [they] will hold the launch event, she said. "If no one, we also have to do this launch event, but I think we can find someone."
Forthing vehicles will be sold through conventional franchise dealerships, Qin suggesting to media the brand could offer "five to 10 dealers" plus "50 showrooms in the network," clarifying "the dealer and the showroom are different" – though plans are not finalised.
She declined to set a bold sales forecast for the Australian market, when asked if Forthing is aiming for Top 10 in the footsteps of Chery, MG, GWM and BYD.
"But that's BYD. Not everybody is BYD. Just like not everybody is Tesla, not everybody is Apple," she said.
"I think we still have our space. We also still have our location in this market. We want to have a long-term relationship with the local company, local corporation. But if you want a lot, I think it's not possible [when] you start."
The Forthing Friday will not be submitted for ANCAP safety testing – though the crash-test organisation can still purchase one itself to test if it wishes – as it has not been developed for a five-star score.
"We create this model not for Australia, [but] for the whole right-hand drive countries, so we didn't think about ... the five-star ANCAP. But maybe in the next [generation] model we will try to make [five-star]."
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
