2 new Chinese car brands and 1 new distributor for South Africa – Details

Changan Automobile has formally announced its plans to enter the South African market before the end of the year.

The Chinese automaker has signed an agreement with Jameel Motors, a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian company Adbul Latif Jameel, which will act as the distributor for Changan and Deepal vehicles in South Africa.

 “We are thrilled to announce Jameel Motors’ market entry to South Africa, especially as we do so with Changan Automobile, a forward-thinking automotive player with exceptional products,” said Jasmine Wong, CEO of Mobility at Adbul Latif Jameel.

The first vehicles are scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of 2025, including a bakkie, SUV, sedan, and new-energy model.

“This is a new milestone for our business in South Africa. Changan Automobile, as a leading Chinese automotive company, has been committed to building a world-class automotive brand,” said Xiao Feng, General Manager at Changan Automobile Middle East and Africa.

“We are confident that, through the strategic cooperation with Jameel Motors, we will be a key player in the South African market.”

Who is Changan?

Changan is a state-owned Chinese carmaker that traces its origins all the way back to the 19th century as a weapons manufacturer.

In 1959, the company received its first contract to begin auto manufacturing, which quickly became the area of focus as Changan began to make military vehicles for the Chinese government

Years later, in 1984, the automaker signed a trade cooperation agreement with Japan’s Suzuki, which sparked Changan’s transformation from a military contractor to a civilian car manufacturer.

Fast forward to today, Changan is now one of China’s “Big Four” state-owned carmakers alongside SAIC, Dongfeng, and the FAW Group, selling more than 2.7 million units in 2024 across 70 different countries.

It produces a wide variety of vehicles, some of which are now set to appear in South Africa.

In a recent press statement, Jameel Motors stated that the company will be responsible for the distribution of “Changan and Deepal products,” including SUVs, sedans, pickup trucks, and new-energy vehicles in South Africa.

While the distributor does not explicitly mention any models by name, it included photos of four different vehicles across the Changan and Deepal stables.

The first of these is the Changan Hunter, which is a midsize pickup similar to the Toyota Hilux.

The Hunter is actually the name of the range-topping version of a bakkie called the F70, which is available with four different powerplants.

This includes a 1.9-litre turbo-diesel, a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol, a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel, and a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol range-extender hybrid.

The Hunter refers to the hybrid model, which uses the combustion engine as a generator to power electric motors on either the rear or both axles, depending on the trim level.

The rear-wheel-drive models use a 130kW e-motor, while the four-wheel-drive units feature an additional 70kW front motor.

A 31kWh battery means the Hunter can travel for 180km on just electricity, which contributes towards a total driving range of 1,031km.

Interesting to note is that the F70 actually shares the same architecture as the Peugeot Landtrek, as the two vehicles were jointly developed by Changan and Stellantis.

Another car that was teased is the CS75, which is a C-segment crossover comparable to something like the VW T-Roc.

The model depicted in the provided image appears to be the CS75 Pro, which is a lower-spec model launched earlier this year as a more affordable entry point to the series.

Even so, it features a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a rather potent 141kW and 310Nm, which is sent to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Next up is the Alsvin, which is an affordable B-segment sedan primarily intended for Middle Eastern markets like Pakistan.

The current-generation units have been in production since 2017 and feature a 1.5-litre petrol engine with 78kW, which is paired to a five-speed manual gearbox and a front-wheel-drive setup.

Considering that South Africa’s affordable sedan segment is dying out, the Alsvin could prove to be a notable addition to a shrinking list of options.

The last unit hinted at is the Deepal S07, marking the introduction of Changan’s new-energy subsidiary.

Overseas, the S07 is offered as both an electric vehicle (EV) and a range-extender hybrid, the former of which uses a rear-mounted e-motor with 160kW and 320Nm.

It also features an 80kWh battery, which provides a range of 650km.

The range-extender hybrid, meanwhile, employs a 1.5-litre engine to power a 177kW e-motor and a 39kWh power cell, leading to a maximum driving range of 1,200km.

Unfortunately, there’s not much else to go on at this point, so we’ll have to wait for Changan to formally announce its product lineup and price list closer to its launch window in Q4 2025.