Chinese brand spied testing its Defender-style SUV in Australia

Rox Motor is arriving in Australia in the coming months, and the Chinese brand has been spied testing one of its models Down Under.

A marketing agency announced the arrival of Rox Motor to CarExpert in October, confirming the "Chinese premium new-energy SUV brand" will enter the Australian market "around the end of this year or early next year".

However, it didn't confirm which of Rox Motor's two current model lines – the 01 or the Adamas – would be offered Down Under, nor who would be distributing the brand and what its retail network would look like.

A CarExpert reader has now snapped these photos of an undisguised, right-hand drive Rox Adamas charging in Sydney.

Both the 01 and Adamas are large, unibody SUVs like the current Land Rover Defender, and both are offered with either six- or seven-seat configurations.

Unlike the Defender, which is offered with petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power, the Rox SUVs are both extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs).

Unlike roughly half of the new Chinese brands coming to Australia over the next 12 months, Rox Motor isn't part of the Chery Group. Instead, it was founded by Chinese entrepreneur Chang Jing, and originally used the Polestones name.

The 01 was its first model, revealed in 2023 with styling by Pininfarina. It measures 5295mm long, 1980mm wide and 1869mm tall on a 3010mm wheelbase, making it 100mm longer, 14mm narrower and 36mm lower than a Denza B8 on a 90mm longer wheelbase.

It features a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that charges the battery, with a pair of electric motors instead driving the wheels. Total system outputs are 350kW of power and 740Nm of torque.

The 01 uses a 56.01kWh ternary lithium battery, and offers 235km of electric range under the WLTC cycle, plus 1115km of combined range.

It features double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, with adaptive dampers.

Inside, there’s a 15.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 15.6-inch rear entertainment screen.

Luxury features include a heated steering wheel; heating, massage and power adjustment for the first- and second-row seats, plus ventilation for those up front; and a panoramic sunroof with a power sunshade.

The Adamas is the more upmarket of Rox Motor's two SUVs.

It's incrementally longer, wider and lower but has an identical wheelbase, and features the same battery and powertrain, albeit with slightly more combined range (1226km WLTC). It also features closed-chamber air suspension, offering up to 140mm of travel.

As expected, both the 01 and Adamas have a full range of active safety and driver-assist technology, including front cross-traffic alert, lane-centring, and semi-autonomous parking.

But the feature that got Rox Motor the most attention globally is found within the Adamas' centre console, which has a removable lid that allows it to be turned into an emergency toilet. This storage compartment is designed to be used with a specific plastic bag with deodorising and absorbent gel.

The Chinese brand's local launch had been expected after CarExpert unearthed more than a dozen local trademark filings lodged by Rox Motor in February 2026, including for Adamas and other model names.

The company has been venturing out of its domestic market, launching in various countries across the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. It's calling Australia a "strategically important" market.

While Defender-inspired SUVs aren’t as common in Australia as in China, their ranks include the Denza B5 and the GWM Haval H7, with the Geely Battleship 700, iCaur V25 and Jetour T2 also due here next year.

In China, there are many more, including the BAIC Xingtan 5X and Hongqi G919, among others.

This type of boxy SUV design is really resonating with Chinese buyers, and there's been a deluge of similarly styled models launched in the Chinese market.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has raised objections, going so far as to take BYD to court due to the BYD/Fangchengbao Ti7 SUV's close resemblance to its Defender.

MORE: Another Chinese brand coming to Australia with another Defender-style SUV