14 new Chinese car brands that could be coming to South Africa
The endless onslaught of Chinese brands South Africa welcomed over the last few years appears to be just the beginning.
We’ve discovered trademark applications for at least 14 more that could be planning to come our way in the near future, or are already doing so.
Before we dive deeper, it must be noted that a trademark is not definitive proof that a certain brand, or car for that matter, will be launching in a particular country.
However, it does indicate that the company has considered the idea and wants to reserve the naming rights should it eventually decide to expand into the new territory when market conditions satisfy its requirements.
As such, it may be years before we see any of these autos arriving on domestic roads, if ever.
The rise of Chinese cars in South Africa
Chinese vehicles experienced a meteoric rise in popularity in South Africa in recent years.
In 2019, only around five manufacturers of Chinese descent were active in our borders which together accounted for just 2% of the overall new light vehicle sales that year, with 96% of those transactions attributed to GWM and Haval, which, technically speaking, are the same company.
In the next five years the country saw an influx of badges hailing from the East, including BYD, Chery, Dayun, DFSK, Foton, GAC Motor, Jaecoo, Jetour, LDV, and Omoda, and local consumers therefore have no fewer than 13 manufacturers from China to consider when making a car-purchasing decision today.
New Jetour Dashing and X70 Plus
As a result, these automakers accounted for over 9% of all light vehicles sold so far in 2024, reflecting a 350% increase in just two years, and they now make up 21% of the overall count of light vehicle brands in the country, said Andrew Hibbert, Auto Data Analyst and Team Lead at market intelligence company Lightstone.
Standard Bank recently also revealed that the number of Chinese models financed by the institution has consistently increased year-on-year since 2022.
Its data shows that the proportion of new Chinese cars financed rose from just over 6% in 2022 to 7.4% in the first half of 2024 despite the period being depressed for other carmakers.
These statistics are mirrored in the pre-owned sector, where the proportion of used Chinese car brands financed by Standard Bank jumped from 20% in 2022 to 36% in July 2024.
Market share for Chinese brands in South Africa – Light Vehicles and Other Commercials
Only the beginning
While there are already plenty of options to go around, it doesn’t seem like we’ll see the end of the Chinese offensive into South Africa any time soon.
The table below details various Chinese automotive companies that have not yet debuted in South Africa but have applied for, or have already registered trademarks:
| Brand | Parent company | Date applied | Trademark status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deepal | Changan Automobile | 2023-07-21 | Advertised |
| Denza | BYD Auto | 2024-06-13 | Pending |
| Fang Cheng Bao | BYD Auto | 2023-08-14 | Accepted with conditions |
| Geely | Zhejiang Geely Holding Group | 2024-01-30 | Accepted with conditions |
| Leapmotor | Leapmotor International/Stellantis | 2024-06-18 | Pending |
| Lynk & Co | Zhejiang Geely Holding Group | 2016-11-22 | Registered |
| Nio | Nio Inc. | 2021-06-28 | Registered |
| Seres | Seres Group | 2020-12-17 | Accepted with conditions |
| Skywell | Skywell New Energy Automobile Group | 2023-02-17 | Registered |
| Wey | Great Wall Motors | 2016-06-15 | Registered |
| Wuling | SAIC-GM-Wuling | 2018-01-23 | Registered |
| XPeng | Guangzhou Xiaopeng Automotive Technology | 2023-12-13 | Pending |
| Yanwang | BYD Auto | 2023-07-13 | Accepted with conditions |
| Zeekr | Zhejiang Geely Holding Group | 2023-09-21 | Accepted with conditions |
2025 Geely Galaxy E5
An interesting fact is that several of these companies have made multiple applications over the years for various evolutions of their badges.
This includes Denza which reapplied with a refreshed appearance four times between 2011 and 2024, Geely which did so seven times between 2004 and 2024, Skywell twice in 2023 alone, and Zeekr which repeated the process two times between 2022 and 2023.
Others have already registered car models, too, such as the:
- Deepal S05 and S07
- Denza B5 and B8
- Geely E5 and EX5
This signals a particularly strong intent from these manufacturers for an eventual South African debut.
It also bears mentioning that even if these brands end up never coming to South Africa, one or more of the vehicles they produce still can.
Chery confirmed to TopAuto earlier in 2024 that it would be launching several vehicles in the domestic market over the coming years plucked from its sub-brands Exeed, iCar, Karry, and Luxeed.
However, it said that these cars would be marketed as either a Chery, Omoda, or Jaecoo in South Africa instead of using their original badges.
While it did not confirm the reason behind this decision, we can assume that the company wants to capitalise on the credibility of its existing brands and avoid cannibalising sales through oversaturating the market.
After all, China sells over three times as many vehicles in one month as South Africa does in a year, so the local market quite simply can’t absorb as many competitors.
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