The minor car brands becoming major players in South Africa

While it is not uncommon for major car brands to have subsidiaries or smaller sub-brands that make up their portfolios, not all of these excel, but sometimes these sub-brands manage to establish their own identities.

This is especially true of the new Chinese brands coming into South Africa, with Chery and GWM introducing various brands in their respective stables.

Chery brought with it Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour, and will soon launch iCaur and Lepas, while GWM has introduced Haval and Ora to our market.

These badges have managed to separate themselves from their parent companies as affordable, standalone offerings that are no longer reliant on their holders’ names.

Last month saw GWM and Chery fighting to get into fifth place in total sales, with both narrowly losing out to Ford by only a few hundred units.

Lower down on the list, Jetour managed to steal 11th place with 1,550 units sold, and together Omoda and Jaecoo ended 13th after shipping 1,413.

This represents a record-breaking month for Omoda and Jaecoo, and the best start to a year seen by Jetour.

These models aren’t only seeing their popularity surge in the new car market, with demand growing rapidly in the pre-owned sector as well.

According to data by Cars.co.za, Chery is the 13th most in-demand brand on the used market, while GWM placed 16th.

Beating out both is Haval – the most in-demand sub-brand in South Africa – which placed 11th in terms of searches on Cars.co.za’s platform.

Comparing their demand to that of 2024, all of Chery’s sub-brands saw massive growth, with Omoda climbing seven positions to find itself in the top 20.

Jaecoo also climbed the rankings in 2025, rising six spots to place 31st.

The most remarkable climb, however, is Jetour, which saw its demand climb 22 positions over the last year and finished in the number 22 spot.

Breaking records

Last month’s record-breaking sales figures for Omoda & Jaecoo saw the brand cross the 20,000 mark for local sales.

Following the announcement of its 20,857 total sales since 2023, the brand’s General Manager, Hans Greyling, said the milestone is about more than just the numbers.

“It represents the trust South African customers have placed in our brand,” he said.

“Reaching 20,857 sales in under three years, and recording our strongest month ever in January 2026, is a testament to the strength of our products, the commitment of our dealer partners, and the passion of our growing customer community.”

With Jetour also enjoying a strong start to the year, the brand’s local Vice President, Nic Campbell, outlined what it takes to be a successful brand.

“The success that we are seeing with Jetour in South Africa comes down to listening to what local customers want and then delivering on it,” he said.

“By investing early in nationwide parts availability, dealer partnerships and direct engagement with our community, we’ve been able to build trust and excitement around a brand that more and more South Africans are now proud to drive.”

Both of these brands have models on the Car of the Year finalists list. The Jetour T2 and Omoda C7 both made the list, and are joined by the Haval H7.

Floyd Ramabulana, Head of Marketing at GWM South Africa, said it is a proud moment for the brand and a strong endorsement of the HAval H7.

“This achievement reinforces our confidence in the product and highlights the progress GWM continues to make in building trust and credibility within the South African market,” he said.

“The H7 represents our commitment to delivering modern, well-equipped vehicles that genuinely add value to our customers’ lives.”

Not only are these brands competing with their parent companies in sales numbers, but also in terms of recognition and stature.