Features / 25 December 2024 / Michael Taylor

Every new car brand that launched in South Africa in 2024

South Africa welcomed six new car brands in 2024, and all of them came from one country.

The past year will likely be looked back on as the year the floodgates opened for Chinese automakers, as Dayun, Foton, GAC, Jaecoo, Jetour, and LDV all staked a claim to our market in 2024.

Jaecoo was the first to appear in April, adding the “J” to the O&J brand alongside its sister company Omoda, which launched in 2023.

Omoda and Jaecoo are the luxury counterparts to Chery in much the same way that Lexus is to Toyota, with each name focusing on a different type of vehicle.

While Omoda offers stylish crossovers like the C5 and C9, Jaecoo is prioritizing premium-feelingSUVs like the J7.

Next up was LDV, which debuted in May as the latest contender in South Africa’s light commercial scene.

For now, the automaker’s sole product is the T60 bakkie – a midsize entry comparable to something like the Toyota Hilux.

This was followed a month later by Foton, which is also tackling the business sector with a selection of bakkies and vans like the Tunland G7.

Foton has far-reaching plans for South Africa, as it intends to build a factory in the Eastern Cape that will manufacture the G7 in the not-too-distant future.

After Foton came Dayun in July, which is very different from the other entries on this list, as it is centred around affordable electric vehicles (EVs).

Its one car, the Yuehu S5, is the cheapest EV in the country, though it is limited to a top speed of 100km/h on freeways.

The final two entries are GAC Motors and Jetour, which entered the scene in August and September, respectively, and both specialize in upmarket crossovers and SUVs at obtainable prices.