Chinese cars are the latest sub-group of vehicles to be targeted by hijackers in South Africa.
A number of brands from the People’s Republic have enjoyed great success in our market in recent times, but this sadly comes at a price, as they have consequently gained attractiveness in the eyes of opportunistic criminals.
The risky nature of big sellers
Roughly 60 cars are hijacked in South Africa every day, and certain brands and models are more likely to be targeted than others.
Unfortunately, the list of the best-selling vehicles and that of the most hijacked ones tend to look very similar, as these models are favoured by criminals for a number of reasons.
The obvious demand for these units makes them far easier to sell on the black market, and the prevalence of certain nameplates means there’s also a high demand for affordable spare parts from consumers who may be unable to afford original components.
Thieves have therefore taken advantage of this demand by taking popular cars and stripping them down for their engines and other components, which they can pawn off to unscrupulous dealers and chop shops.
All of this comes as unfortunate news for Chinese carmakers, who have been rapidly growing in popularity in South Africa.
Chery and GWM, in particular, are now among the country’s top 10 best-selling brands, and Omoda and Jaecoo (O&J) have quickly risen to the 15th spot despite being here for just over one year.
You can see a list of the most recent sales figures for every major auto company in South Africa below, with Chinese brands highlighted in red:
- Toyota – 10,890 units
- VW – 5,885 units
- Suzuki – 5,032 units
- Hyundai – 2,841 units
- Ford – 2,823 units
- Isuzu – 1,960 units
- GWM – 1,740 units
- Chery – 1,614 units
- Renault – 1,426 units
- Nissan – 1,425 units
- Kia – 1,284 units
- Mahindra – 1,014 units
- BMW – 961 units
- Mercedes-Benz – 535 units
- Omoda & Jaecoo – 506 units
- Stellantis – 505 units
- Jaguar Land Rover – 312 units
- Honda – 265 units
- BAIC – 207 units
- Mazda – 204 units
- Mitsubishi – 175 units
- JAC – 142 units
- Porsche – 97 units
- Volvo – 83 units
- Proton – 68 units
- Subaru – 22 units
This illustrates that Chinese manufacturers are already outselling several legacy brands in South Africa despite having been on the market for a fraction of the time.
This is also a trend that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, as the last two years have seen a flood of new manufacturers from the Far East making themselves available to local consumers including BYD, Foton, GAC, Jetour, and LDV, with at least a dozen more potentially on the way.
Fidelity Services Group has warned that there has been a considerable uptick in Chinese vehicles being hijacked in South Africa since 2020, mirroring the 305% growth in sales that these badges have enjoyed over the same period.
A few of the most targeted models include the Chery SUVs and the GWM P-Series bakkie, which are among the top sellers in their respective segments.
Bakkies and 4×4 SUVs are a particular favourite for hijackers as these vehicles are highly sought-after in other parts of Africa, which has led to massive smuggling operations to get cars across the border into neighbouring countries like Lesotho, Mozambique, and Zambia.
Another reason why Chinese models are often in thieves’ crosshairs is that they tend to have rather powerful engines relative to their competitors.
Reports highlight that criminal syndicates previously stole Havals for their powertrains, which were retrofitted to minibuses often used as taxis.
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