The Chinese car brand taking South Africa by storm

Jetour has achieved a new sales record in South Africa, solidifying its position as one of the country’s fastest-growing brands.

The Chinese carmaker achieved a new monthly sales record of 2,020 units in May 2026, accounting for roughly 5.5% of the nation’s total passenger vehicle sales.

This allowed Jetour to maintain its position as South Africa’s eighth best-selling car brand for a second consecutive month.

The milestone coincides with another major achievement for Jetour, as it recently became the first Chinese brand ever to claim the South African Car of the Year title.

This honour was bestowed on the Jetour T2 Adventure SUV, which was pitted against models of all shapes and sizes, from bakkies to hatchbacks and luxury sedans.

“What a month May has been for the brand, marked by a series of proud accolades,” said Nic Campbell, Vice President of Jetour South Africa.

“The pace of growth we’ve experienced reflects increasing consumer confidence in our brand, our products and our dealer network.”

Jetour, a manufacturer under the Chery Group, first launched in South Africa in September 2024. It entered the country’s top 15 automotive brands just 10 months later.

In the span of 18 months, the company has expanded its initial network of 40 dealerships to more than 55 nationwide, backed up by a digital-first parts warehouse in Midrand, Gauteng.

“Designed to support fast, efficient and reliable nationwide distribution, this facility enables streamlined inventory management and order processing through integrated digital systems, helping dealers access required parts quickly and reducing vehicle downtime for customers,” said the carmaker.

Jetour’s local catalogue now comprises four vehicles: the midsize Dashing urban SUV, the seven-seater X70 Plus, and the T1 and T2 Adventure SUVs.

While the former two are reasonably popular, it is the T-badged models that have catapulted the brand’s success to new heights.

The T2, in particular, is now the 10th best-selling vehicle in South Africa, pulling in numbers on par with the Suzuki Fronx and Toyota Corolla Cross.

The company recently doubled down on the T-series’ popularity, introducing new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions of the T1 and T2.

These are the brand’s first new-energy vehicles in South Africa, and they are also some of the more affordable PHEV options on the market.

Jetour is the first Chinese brand to win the Car of the Year title

The T2 was crowned the winner of the 2026 Car of the Year (COTY) title by the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ).

This year’s competition saw 55 qualifying vehicles go head-to-head across six categories: Compact, Family, Mild Adventure, Adventure, Premium, and Performance.

This list was shaved down to 30 semi-finalists in January 2026, and another 12 were eliminated in the next round, leaving 18 finalists.

The finalists were then subjected to a three-day evaluation process at Zwartkops Raceway in Gauteng.

Lightstone Auto, the official data partner to the South African Car of the Year competition, provided market intelligence for the scoring process.

“Following the jury’s physical evaluations, its data – including segment sales volumes and specification-adjusted competitor pricing – is used to determine segment weighting and to assess each finalist’s value relative to direct rivals.”

“This complements the jury’s assessments by adding objective market context and uniting the competition with a leading provider of independent automotive intelligence.”

In addition to the COTY title itself, the T2 won the Mild Adventure category, beating the Hyundai Santa Fe, BYD Shark 6, and Haval H7.

Other winners included the Audi A5 (Premium), Audi RS Q8 (Performance), Land Rover Defender OCTA (Adventure), Omoda C7 (Family), VW Golf TSI (Compact), and Chery Tiggo 7 (People’s Choice Award).