The Indian, Chinese, and Japanese car brands taking South Africa by storm

South Africa is witnessing a major shift in car buying trends as motorists continue to move away from established legacy brands towards newer and more affordable options.

This shift has opened the way for new companies to become top performers in the local market, all of which hail from Asia.

This includes China’s Chery, India’s Mahindra, and Japan’s Suzuki, which have rocketed up the charts in recent years to become three of the best-selling automakers in South Africa.

Chery

Arguably the most prevalent up-and-coming segment in South Africa is Chinese cars – a movement that has been spearheaded by Chery.

Chery relaunched here in 2021, yet despite its relatively short time on the market, it has managed to climb the ranks to the point it is now a regular feature of each month’s best-sellers list.

The automaker sold a total of 19,791 units in 2024, indicating that local buyers are far more receptive to Chinese cars than they were a decade ago.

It’s likely because of the success of Chery and its biggest rival – GWM – that South Africa has seen the floodgates open for other Chinese companies trying to replicate their success, such as Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour, GAC, and MG.

As of March 2025, just over a quarter of all car brands in South Africa are now Chinese, and Chery definitely played a role in kickstarting this trend.

Mahindra

Mahindra is perhaps the most understated of South Africa’s top players, as its success hasn’t been as widely covered as the influx of Chinese nameplates.

The reality is that Mahinda is the fastest-growing brand in the country with a staggering 40% year-on-year increase in sales for the financial year ended March 2025.

It achieved its best yearly registrations to date with 15,088 units and broke multiple internal records with its best SUV sales month (1,000 units) and best bakkie sales month (1,256 units) all within the same year.

While Mahindra has not consistently ranked in the top 10 thus far, its recent performance suggests that it could soon be a regular contender for the eighth spot – competing with other brands like Isuzu and Nissan.

Suzuki

Suzuki has been around for a while and has always maintained a South African fanbase, but the brand saw an explosive rise in popularity around the turn of the decade which it has held onto ever since.

Of course, South Africa is already a fan of Japanese cars – Toyota being chief among them – but Suzuki has carved out a substantial market share thanks to its bigger emphasis on affordable models.

Suzuki offers more sub-R300,000 cars than any other company on the market, which is likely why it experienced a meteoric uptick in sales in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic, which drastically altered the buying habits of consumers around the world.

The carmaker also had an excellent turnout in 2024 with record-breaking sales of 62,750 units – a 20.75% year-on-year improvement.

Suzuki has grown to the point it is now the country’s second-best-selling badge behind Toyota, overtaking long-running favourites like VW, Ford, and Hyundai in the span of just a few years.