3 new Chinese car brands coming to South Africa this year – Details

South Africa is set to receive at least three new Chinese car brands before the end of 2025.

There are already 15 different badges from the People’s Republic on sale in our market, but this doesn’t seem to have deterred Geely, Dongfeng, or Denza, all of whom have indicated that they would like to take a crack at becoming a local best-seller.

Geely

Earlier this month, Geely revealed that it intends to launch in several new markets this year, including the UK, Brazil and, most importantly, South Africa.

This is not the first time Geely has attempted to enter our market, mind you, as the brand was previously available for a short time in the early 2010s before it pulled out.

However, much like its Chinese rivals Chery and MG, Geely has decided to take another swing at the South African auto scene with its latest generation of vehicles.

The company has yet to announce which cars are headed our way, but one model that seems certain is the E5 (or EX5 depending on the market).

It is a battery-electric SUV that is specifically built for export to right-hand-drive markets, and the brand has already submitted two trademarks for the vehicle in South Africa, heavily implying it is on its way.

As a brief indication of what local buyers can expect from this five-seater, the E5 features a front-mounted electric motor with 160kW and 320Nm, which connects to a 60.22kWh battery with a range of up to 430km, according to the WLTP standard.

If SUVs aren’t your thing, Geely has also trademarked its Riddara sub-brand which serves as the carmaker’s bakkie division.

It currently has one product – the RD6 – which is available in both rear-wheel and four-wheel-drive configurations with one or two electric motors, respectively.

Other trademarks suggest that the EX2 and EX3 are also coming, the former of which has yet to be unveiled, while the latter is a small crossover that will presumably be the manufacturer’s second-most affordable vehicle in South Africa.

Dongfeng

Dongfeng has already arrived in South Africa but has yet to officially launch its trailblazing car.

The automaker held a small launch event in Gauteng back in December where it showcased its first product – the Box.

The Box (known as the Nammi 01 in China) is an electric hatchback comparable in size to something like the VW Polo.

It runs on a front-mounted e-motor with 70kW and 160Nm, which is powered by a 32.3kWh battery good for 430km.

The Box is scheduled to launch in South Africa in “early 2025,” but considering it’s already late March, it’s likely that this vague description means it’ll arrive before the end of the first half of the year.

Dongfeng also stated that it would release another two cars before 2026, but has yet to confirm what these will be.

Denza

Denza is a luxury sub-brand of BYD that is all but confirmed for a launch in South Africa later in 2025.

While Denza has yet to provide an explicit statement, BYD South Africa recently announced that “Denza is coming,” in reference to the fact that the automaker is releasing in several new markets this year, including Europe, Thailand, and Singapore.

It has also filed trademark applications in South Africa, so we anticipate the announcement of its local debut should be coming any day now.

Denza first appeared in 2010 as a joint venture between BYD and Mercedes-Benz, and has been limited to China for most of its existence.

Over the last decade, Mercedes sold its stake in the company, turning Denza into a wholly-owned subsidiary of BYD focused on luxury electric vehicles.

The brand currently has five different models – the D9, N7, N9, Z9, and Z9 GT – though all of these are exclusive to the Chinese market.

As a result, Denza has elected to borrow vehicles from across the BYD family in order to jump-start its international presence.

Two of these cars are the Denza B5 and B8, which are the names the company applied to trademark in South Africa.

The B5 and B8 are a rebadged version of the Fangchengbao Bao 5 and Bao 8 – Fangchengbao being a subsidiary of BYD focused on off-road vehicles.

The Bao 5 is a midsize 4×4 SUV while the Bao 8 is a larger full-size model, which means the two cars are comparable to something like the Toyota Fortuner and Land Cruiser 300, respectively.

Both vehicles are plug-in hybrids, with the B5 featuring a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine while the B8 has a 2.0-litre turbo setup.

Combined with an e-motor over each axle, the B5 produces a total of 505kW, while the B8 can summon an even greater 550kW.

Furthermore, the B5 employs a 31.8kWh battery with an electric range of 125km, which contributes towards a total range of 1,200km with the petrol tank.

The B8 has a slightly bigger 36.8kWh cell, though the vehicle’s size means it ends with essentially the same electric range of 120km and a total range of 1,200km.

One other interesting detail about the B5 and B8 is that they share the same platform as the BYD Shark, which is going on sale in South Africa within the next few weeks.

This adds further evidence to the idea that these SUVs are bound for our shores, since it is a common practice in the industry to sell an Adventure SUV and a bakkie built on the same platform.