The tide of Chinese car brands flowing into South Africa doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, as another five names are set to appear in the near future.
This year has already welcomed in Lepas, a new brand under the Chery umbrella that debuted in March with its first car, the L4.
The automaker will soon expand this roster with two more cars, the L6 and the L8, which will serve as an alternative to Chery’s Tiggo range of crossovers and SUVs.
Even though Lepas is the third Chery sub-brand to appear in South Africa, following the launch of Omoda, Jaecoo, and Jetour, it is not the last, as the company still has another marque lined up for May 2026.
Chery isn’t the only one bringing in a sub-brand this year, either, as BYD is expected to launch its luxury division this year, while Geely has no less than three names in the pipeline for South Africa.
Denza
Denza is the premium sub-division of BYD, the electric carmaker that has rapidly grown in popularity in South Africa over the last few years.
The new brand was initially scheduled to appear by the end of 2025, but this evidently did not come to pass, and so the current speculation is that Denza’s launch has been quietly delayed by a few months.
In any case, the brand effectively serves as the Lexus to BYD’s Toyota, offering a range of luxury models with new-energy powertrains.
The one car confirmed for our market thus far is the B5, an Adventure SUV that is expected to take on local favourites like the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest, and Land Rover Defender.
Car Magazine previously reported that the B5 would launch in early 2026, which means it could appear any day now.
It shares a platform with the BYD Shark bakkie and features a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and two electric motors.
The full spec sheet will only be announced at launch, but you can expect plenty of nice-to-haves like heated and ventilated seats, two-tone leather upholstery, a 12-speaker stereo, and a rotating 15.6-inch infotainment screen.
iCaur
Next up is Chery’s new brand – iCaur.
iCaur is arguably the most unique of the Chery brands as it specializes in new-energy vehicles with retro-themed styling.
Its first two cars, the V23 and 03T, are boxy electric 4x4s that are set to appear in showrooms this May.
The company has yet to reveal the official powertrain stats for either model, though it did note that they will be available in front-wheel-drive (FWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD).
The FWD units have a single front-mounted electric motor, while the AWD units have an e-motor over each axle, greatly improving their performance.
Battery sizes range from 60kWh to 80kWh, depending on the model, which will provide a range of up to 500km.
Riddara, Farizon, and Zeekr
Last but certainly not least is Geely, which launched in South Africa in November 2025.
Geely currently sells two SUVs – the plug-in hybrid E5 EM-i and the electric E5 – but the company has much bigger plans for our market.
It wants to launch three sub-brands, Zeekr, Farizon, and Riddara, which cater to vastly different audiences.
Farizon produces large electric trucks and vans, and is therefore of more relevance to the commercial sector.
Zeekr, on the other hand, is Geely’s luxury brand, similar to Denza or Lexus, and Riddara produces electric bakkies for private and commercial customers.
Geely has yet to reveal which Zeekr cars are destined for South Africa, but the most likely candidate is the Zeekr X.
The X is an electric crossover that shares a platform with the Volvo EX30, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given that Volvo was acquired by the Geely Holding Group in 2010.
Given that the EX30 is one of the most popular electric cars in South Africa, it’s far to assume that its Chinese counterpart will appear in the near future, possibly at a lower price point.
As for Riddara, it has an electric double cab called the RD6, which is sold in two specifications with a single rear-mounted e-motor or an AWD setup.
Riddara’s vehicles will be locally distributed by Enviro Automotive, but the company has yet to announce the official release window.
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