In Australia, if we might generalise for a second, it looks as if folks movers (aka MPVs or minivans) have lengthy been reserved for 3 varieties of consumers: these with notably massive households; accommodations that want shuttles; and rental fleets.
Attempt to persuade a typical Aussie to purchase one in every of these boxy autos reasonably than a trendier SUV and also you’ll usually be met with a glance of disgust, regardless of how a lot they loved the Kia Carnival they rented on their final interstate vacation…
Folks movers by no means reached the dizzying gross sales heights right here that they did in markets like Europe and the US, each locations the place their recognition has light as SUV demand has continued to develop.
In Australia, long-running nameplates just like the Toyota Tarago and Honda Odyssey have disappeared, whereas the Kia Carnival has consolidated its share of the folks mover market section, which now sits at simply over 73 per cent. Thoughts you, it’s not an enormous section, and is outsold by even mid-size passenger vehicles.
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However head over to China and Japan, and also you’ll see folks movers in all places. They usually’re not simply kid-haulers designed to get grubby.
Myriad manufacturers supply more and more lavish four-seat variants with inside dividers, big digital screens, fridges, and seats that may warmth, cool and therapeutic massage you. A bit totally different from dad’s outdated Ford Spectron, then.
Whereas there are luxe folks movers supplied by Nissan and Toyota in Japan, they haven’t come right here, not less than formally – Toyota even axed its Granvia folks mover domestically earlier this 12 months.
Flying the Japanese flag solo in Australia’s folks mover section is the luxurious Lexus LM, launched right here in 2024.
As for the Chinese language manufacturers, it’s a unique story totally.
LDV launched the electrical MIFA 9 in 2023, with a base worth north of $100,000. Then, early this 12 months, Zeekr began delivering its electrical 009, priced from $135,900 earlier than on-roads.
Neither have set the gross sales charts on hearth.
LDV delivered simply 12 examples of the MIFA 9, technically an electrical model of its extra reasonably priced MIFA folks mover, in 2023, adopted by 20 in 2024, and simply three this 12 months.
Zeekr has delivered a extra spectacular 119 examples of the 009 this 12 months, however that’s nonetheless fewer than what Kia will ship of its Carnival in a given week.
In fact, the 009 breathes rarified air with its base worth north of $100k – even following the announcement of a extra reasonably priced base grade final month – and an inside that makes the Carnival’s admittedly good cabin look reasonably pedestrian.
Regardless of their low gross sales volumes, nevertheless, these two Chinese language folks movers seem to have emboldened different Chinese language manufacturers to deliver their very own expensive folks movers right here.
As essentially the most luxuriously appointed members of their respective model lineups, these folks movers can arguably supply a ‘halo impact’. However a few of these manufacturers are genuinely claiming there may be robust demand for these merchandise and that they are often gross sales drivers.
“Sure, in Australia there are only a few manufacturers which give an MPV. That is fairly an analogous scenario in China again to perhaps 10 years,” Cheney Liang, deputy common supervisor of GAC Australia, advised CarExpert in November.
“Earlier than the M8 [launched in China], it was simply the [Honda] Odyssey as the most well-liked one. However after the M8 goes to the market, it really expands the market, the market turns into larger than earlier than.
“I believe after the M8 involves the Australian market, there might be some change within the prospects as a result of at this second for the Carnival… A lot of the prospects have an Asian background, nevertheless it has already modified a little bit bit. The Aussies begin to purchase [people movers].”
His model’s M8 has solely simply gone on sale right here, turning into the one plug-in hybrid folks mover within the Australian market. It’s priced from $76,590 earlier than on-road prices, and in Luxurious trim has the requisite govt transport options like heated, ventilated and massaging second-row captain’s chairs with energy leg rests.
Xpeng has arguably essentially the most interesting-looking folks mover of the lot with the X9, due right here throughout 2026.
Its native distributor TrueEV claims it recorded sufficient curiosity within the automobile to make the case with Xpeng HQ in China that the X9 might be offered right here efficiently.
“We’ve taken a big variety of pre-orders and deposits for the X9. That demand is all however confirmed,” TrueEV CEO Jason Clarke advised CarExpertthis month.
Pricing and specs are anticipated to be introduced throughout the first quarter of 2026, earlier than buyer deliveries start from the second quarter.
The X9 is obtainable in China with both electrical (EV) or extended-range electrical (EREV) powertrains, and with its 800V electrical structure and air suspension it’s shaping up as extra of a rival to the Zeekr 009.
Denza seems rather less keen about its potential new folks mover.
The D9 acquired street automobile sort approval in Australia this month, however the brand new (to Australia) model has but to formally affirm it for our market.
“We may have launched with the D9, which is the folks mover that they’re utilizing in Indonesia, Malaysia and different markets. However we needed to go for the large section,” defined Denza Australia chief working officer Mark Harland to CarExpertearlier this month. His model is as a substitute launching with a pair of enormous off-road SUVs.
“We’re nonetheless if and after we deliver that in, as a result of it’s not an enormous section, particularly on the luxurious finish.
“We wish to set up the community, set up our presence with the B5 and B8 earlier than we take a look at the D9 and the rationale we did the [vehicle type approval] on the D9 is as a result of it’s a automobile that’s accessible to us in as a right-hand drive automobile, and it’s doing effectively in Malaysia and Indonesia and different right-hand drive markets.”
In brief, Denza Australia might import it as a result of it’s accessible, and it doesn’t look like a mode the native arm would have in any other case been lobbying for.
It’s been permitted for Australia in electrical guise, although plug-in hybrid energy is obtainable in China. Additionally accessible in China, albeit solely with the PHEV powertrain, is a palatial Pioneer Version with no third row and an enormous divider between the primary and second rows fitted with an built-in 32-inch display screen.
To this point, solely Lexus affords such an inside configuration in Australia.
However wait, there’s extra!
GWM has confirmed it’ll launch the fifth of its Chinese language-market manufacturers right here, the premium Wey marque, autos from which – like GWM, Haval, Tank and Ora – might be offered beneath the GWM banner.
CarExpert understands the Wey G9 – a big, plug-in hybrid, all-wheel drive folks mover – will make its method to Australian showrooms.
Of the opposite Chinese language manufacturers in Australia, not all have a big folks mover in different markets.
Geely has the 5.3m-long Galaxy L380 EV with styling impressed by the Airbus A380 and non-compulsory air suspension; there’s additionally an EREV model, the Geely Galaxy V900.
MG sells a rebadged LDV MIFA 9 in some markets, whereas additionally fielding a barely smaller folks mover because the MG Maxus 7 in Thailand. Likewise, BYD affords the Xia, which is carefully associated to the Denza D9; it’s offered because the BYD M9 in some markets.
Chery, Deepal, Omoda Jaecoo and Leapmotor don’t presently have folks movers, however there are numerous different Chinese language manufacturers not but in Australia that do. It’s attainable, then, that as an increasing number of Chinese language manufacturers announce Australian plans, some will throw their hat into the folks mover ring.
Even with out them, there’ll be numerous gamers combating for just below 15,000 annual gross sales.
