Omoda and Jaecoo are taking South Africa by storm, rocketing through the sales charts in a matter of months.
Neither brand has been in South Africa for very long, yet the duo has consistently improved on its sales to the point they is now one of the top 15 best-selling automakers in the country.
Omoda and Jaecoo, for those who are not aware, are two Chinese car brands that made their local debut in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
While the two badges are technically different companies, Omoda and Jaecoo operate as a twin brand in South Africa, often referred to as “O&J.”
O&J is a sub-brand of Chery that specializes in premium vehicles, with the former focusing on urban crossovers while the latter gravitates towards off-road themed SUVs.
Omoda arrived in South Africa in April 2023 with a single product – the C5 crossover – which was later joined by the larger C9 in late 2024.
Jaecoo made its local introduction one year later in April 2024 with the J7 SUV, which is currently the only vehicle offered by the automaker.
However, even though O&J’s combined roster is somewhat limited, the twin brand has enjoyed great success with sales that surpass those of more-established manufacturers.
According to the Automotive Business Council’s latest sales report for April 2025, Omoda and Jaecoo are now the 13th best-selling carmaker in South Africa, which is quite the achievement given how new they are.
These were the final sales figures for every major car brand in South Africa in April:
- Toyota – 10,363 units
- Suzuki – 5,977 units
- VW – 3,973 units
- Hyundai – 3,007 units
- Ford – 2,398 units
- GWM – 1,943 units
- Chery –1,852 units
- Isuzu – 1,383 units
- Renault – 1,281 units
- Mahindra – 1,278 units
- Kia – 1,277 units
- BMW – 1,146 units
- Omoda & Jaecoo – 865 units
- Nissan – 794 units
- Jetour – 573 units
- Stellantis – 527 units
- Mercedes-Benz – 518 units
- Foton – 253 units
- Mazda – 249 units
- BAIC – 215 units
- Jaguar Land Rover – 210 units
- JAC – 207 units
- Honda – 137 units
- Porsche – 116 units
- Mitsubishi – 93 units
- Proton – 66 units
- Volvo – 59 units
- Subaru – 37 units
O&J is outperforming 15 other carmakers in South Africa, many of which have far greater brand-recognition from their extended time on the market.
Admittedly, it’s not surprising to see O&J outsell a company like Jaguar Land Rover or Porsche, which are high-end luxury brands that don’t compete on volume.
That being said, Omoda and Jaecoo were able to outsell four other Chinese badges including Jetour, Foton, BAIC, and JAC.
Foton and JAC are bakkie brands so it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, but Jetour and BAIC both sell premium crossovers and SUVs just like O&J.
It’s also worth noting that O&J outsold Stellantis, which is a conglomerate representing several different carmakers such as Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Peugeot, Opel, Jeep, and Citroen.
It’s another indication that South African motorists are no longer sceptical of buying cars from largely unfamiliar Chinese nameplates and that brand recognition and customer loyalty may no longer be as significant a factor as they used to be.
Changing with the times
A major reason why consumers are switching to Chinese brands is that they ostensibly offer great value for money relative to their legacy competitors.
The Omoda C5, for example, is debatably the most affordable premium SUV in South Africa, with prices starting at just R329,900.
To put this in perspective, the VW Polo Vivo Life now goes for R326,600, while the entry-level Polo TSI asks for R373,800.
Another example is the C9, which Omoda claims is a rival to the likes of the BMW X3, Audi Q5, and Mercedes-Benz GLC.
However, the C9 is considerably cheaper at a starting rate of R785,900, compared to R1,136,417 for the BMW, R1,018,200 for the Audi, and R1,243,797 for the Mercedes.
This price gap is likely one of the reasons why consumers are switching to Chinese cars during a period of economic uncertainty, where many households are reducing what they spend on new transport.
Loading ...
