When you ask any Australian resident what the country’s automotive identity is, you’re likely to hear the word Holden a million times over.
The now-defunct icon bade farewell to our shores nearly a decade ago, and industry bodies and federal authorities have called on car makers to bring back domestic car manufacturing.
As reported by Drive on 19 May 2026, Prime Minister Albanese is open to bringing car manufacturing back, particularly for electric cars.
Speaking at a News Corp event, the Prime Minister said, “There’s no reason why we can’t make [electric] vehicles. At the very least, we can make parts and components, including batteries here. Indeed, there are companies looking at doing just that”.
And while full-scale manufacturing isn’t on the cards yet, Australia still has somewhat of an automotive manufacturing presence, albeit in a smaller dose.
Whether it’s Ford relying on our country to design and develop the Ranger ute and Everest SUV, or independent firms such as PremCar and Walkinshaw partnering with brands such as Nissan and Volkswagen on Australian-specific models, some car makers rely on our country’s terrain and market.
But according to an executive at Chinese electronics brand Dreame, the new car maker is considering Australia as a potential manufacturing hub.
In an exclusive interview with Drive, Dreame’s car project lead in Australia and New Zealand, James Moore, said the brand is looking at different countries to build its manufacturing presence.
“It’s possible that our vehicles will not be manufactured in China, and we are exploring opportunities outside of the Chinese network.
“In China, they’ve restricted the amount of EV manufacturing that can actually happen, so even if we wanted to launch our new vehicles, we couldn’t do that in such a short period of time by going through the traditional route,” he said.
While the executive remained coy about confirming which countries the car maker is looking at, Australia and New Zealand will be the brand’s first global expansion into a right-hand-drive market.
“It’s too early to tell. However, as our global first right-hand-drive market, never say never,” Moore told Drive.
The Chinese brand showcased its first concept car in Australia on 19 May 2026, an electric hypercar dubbed the Nebula 01X. And while the model generated buzz, Moore said the new car maker chose a range of models with different powertrain options that will occupy the market’s most competitive and high-volume segments.
“I can’t give the full number of models we had selected from, but it is within models that you’d expect to see on your general everyday brands coming to market,” he said.
“So those volume segments of small, medium, and large SUVs, as well as potential pick-up and utility vehicles as well. The models that we’ve selected [fall] within three or four market segments, and it would be no surprise that they will generally fit in the market segments where we’re seeing massive growth."
The car project lead said the Chinese electronics brand is looking to enter the Australian market within 12 to 18 months, which puts the car maker's arrival sometime between mid to late 2027.
Dreame is the latest Chinese brand to announce its Australian entry, though Moore said the fledgling car maker isn't worried about the influx of rivals, given the manufacturer's focus on the local market.
"The way that we're differentiating ourselves from the rest of the market is that speed to market, and the vehicles we bring to Australian and New Zealand roads are designed for Aussie and Kiwi roads. We are doing local testing," he said.
Though Dreame's Australian product line-up has yet to be officially announced, the Chinese electronics giant previously showcased a mid-sized electric SUV prototype dubbed the Nebula 01X.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
