BYD locks in Kia Carnival rival for Australian launch

Rising star BYD, Australia's second-best selling auto brand year-to-date, is getting ready to take on the juggernaut of the people mover set in Australia, the Kia Carnival.

The BYD M9 is due on sale in Australia during the fourth quarter (October to December) of 2026.

It’ll follow the GAC M8 as the second plug-in hybrid people mover on the Australian market.

BYD says it will announce pricing, as well as full specifications, closer to the M9’s launch.

It has confirmed the M9 will be offered in two variants, both with front-wheel drive and BYD’s DM-i 5.0 Super Hybrid powertrain.

This features a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated with an electric motor.

First to arrive will be the top-spec Premium, with a 36.6kWh ‘Blade’ lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and a seven-seat layout. BYD claims up to 145km of electric range on the WLTP cycle, with up to 850km of combined range.

Standard equipment in the Premium includes heated and ventilated front seats, as well as second-row captain’s chairs with heating, ventilation, and a “near zero-gravity seating position”.

The base Dynamic uses a smaller 20.39kWh LFP battery and features an eight-seat configuration.

BYD Australia hasn’t announced the Dynamic's range figure or either variant's DC fast-charge rates, nor has it confirmed power and torque outputs. However, recently published certification documents confirm outputs of 191.4kW and 218.2kW, respectively, while Chinese specifications confirm DC charge rates of 41kW and 73kW.

All M9s feature vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality, allowing you to power small electrical appliances, while safety equipment includes a surround-view camera, a “comprehensive suite” of active safety and driver assist technology, and up to nine airbags.

The M9 measures 5145mm long, 1970mm wide and 1805mm tall, on a 3045mm wheelbase.

That makes it 10mm shorter, 25mm narrower and 30mm taller than the Carnival on a 45mm shorter wheelbase.

Certification documents confirm a payload figure of 654kg for both variants.

Claimed boot space behind the third row is 470 litres, and BYD says the M9 has a braked towing capacity of 1500kg.

There’s been a flurry of Chinese brands entering the people mover market in Australia, but almost all of them – including BYD's own premium Denza brand, with the electric D9 – have been chasing more luxurious models like the Mercedes-Benz V-Class. That's because in their homeland, these people movers are seen as prestige or halo models, and often come loaded with technology and luxury features.

Few have bothered to take on the Kia Carnival directly, which has a whopping 87.8 per cent share of the mainstream people mover segment year-to-date and 75 per cent of the total people mover market in Australia. It significantly outsells rivals like the Hyundai Staria and Ford Tourneo.

While pricing has yet to be announced, the M9 is likely to significantly undercut the Denza D9.

In China, where it's known as the Xia, BYD's people mover is priced between 206,800 and 269,800 RMB (~A$42,000-$54,750), while the Denza D9 EV opens at 369,800 RMB (~A$76,790); for reference, the Denza is priced from $85,990 plus on-road costs in Australia.

In contrast, the three-row BYD Sealion 8 large SUV sold in Australia is priced from 229,800 to 285,800 RMB (~A$46,600-$58,000) in China, where it’s known as the Tang L DM. In Australia, it's priced between $56,990 and $70,990 plus on-roads.

Should the M9 be priced roughly in line with the Sealion 8, it would be competitive with the Carnival, which is currently priced between $54,560 and $76,840 plus ORCs.

With BYD having overtaken Kia in Australia and offering plug-in hybrid power in contrast with the Carnival's diesel or hybrid options, it remains to be seen whether the M9 will pose the greatest threat yet to the current generation of Kia's people mover.

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