How Chinese cars got so popular in South Africa

10 years ago, you would have struggled to find a Chinese car on South Africa’s roads. Today, they make up more than 40% of the brands in showrooms.

South Africa’s economy has stagnated over the last decade, leading to a higher cost of living with elevated interest rates and soaring fuel prices.

Car prices have also skyrocketed in recent years. According to TransUnion, the average vehicle finance agreement in South Africa is now 72 months (6 years).

Longer 84 and 96-month contracts are also growing in popularity, indicating that motorists are agreeing to ever-larger interest payments just to afford the monthly instalments on a new car.

Additionally, many households are downsizing from two to one car because they can no longer afford to purchase, insure, maintain, and run two vehicles.

All of this has created an environment where motorists are willing to break from established legacy car brands to find something that offers better value for the same price.

This is the primary reason why Chinese brands have taken off in such a short time frame, as they typically offer larger vehicles than their competitors for a similar price.

A local favourite vs a Chinese newcomer

A good example of this trend is the VW T-Cross, a compact SUV from one of South Africa’s best-selling brands.

The T-Cross is the German automaker’s entry-level crossover in our market, but even so, prices now range from R399,900 for the base manual, up to R548,400 for the R-Line.

For R539,900, motorists could instead buy the Omoda C7, a larger family SUV from Chery’s premium sub-brand.

The two cars are not direct rivals in the traditional sense, as the C7 sits in a higher vehicle class, yet its price is comparable to that of a smaller, range-topping crossover from an established marque.

It raises the question of whether it is better to stick with a trusted badge or go with the new brand that promises better value for the same money.

Looking at their engines, the T-Cross uses a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 85kW and 200Nm, which links with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT).

In comparison, the C7 has a much larger 1.6-litre turbo-petrol block with 145kW and 290Nm, which also connects to a seven-speed DCT.

While it is much more powerful, one advantage of the VW is its lower fuel consumption, which sits at 5.6l/100km compared to the Omoda’s 7.5l/100km.

Moving on, the feature comparison is quite interesting, as we are pitting the top-spec T-Cross against the entry-level C7.

Visually, the Volkswagen kicks things off with 17-inch alloys, IQ.Light Matrix LED headlights, an illuminated grille strip, and sport-themed bumpers.

In contrast, the Chinese car has larger 19-inch alloy rims, LED headlamps, a panoramic sunroof, an electric tailgate, and flush door handles.

The key difference comes down to size, as shown in the table below:

This will likely be one of the main determining factors for buyers, who may prefer a larger model for the same price, especially if they have a family to consider.

Equipment on the German auto includes keyless entry and start, ArtVelour Sports seats, ambient lighting, air conditioning, a 10-inch digital Cockpit driver display, an 8-inch infotainment screen, a wireless charger, six speakers, cruise control, driver attention alert, and a rearview camera.

The Omoda, meanwhile, has an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster, a 15.6-inch infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, 256-colour ambient lighting, and acoustic glass.

Additionally, the C7 has a longer list of driving aids, such as adaptive cruise control, a rearview camera, lane-keep assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, vehicle and pedestrian detection, and traffic jam assist.

Omoda C7

VW T-Cross