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How many Chinese cars have been sold in South Africa in 2023

At least 21,871 Chinese cars have been sold in South Africa since the start of 2023, indicating strong growth for a sub-category of brands that have been on the market for a relatively short time compared to long-time staples like BMW, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

There are currently seven brands operating in South Africa, comprised of BAIC, BYD, Chery, GWM, Haval, JAC, and Omoda.

BYD, effectively the Chinese version of Tesla, is the newest automaker on the tip of Africa, having only launched in June with its battery-powered crossover, the Atto 3.

Unfortunately, BYD, along with BAIC and Omoda, do not publish their monthly sales figures to Naamsa and are thus absent from the aforementioned sale numbers.

BAIC currently has two units on the market with the B40 Plus and Beijing X55, while Omoda is another new entry in the local car space – operating separately from its parent company Chery as a luxury brand – with its C5 crossover.

Thankfully, the other automakers have provided their sales numbers, revealing that the Haval Jolion is the most popular model hailing from Beijing, with 5,708 units sold so far this year.

Haval itself is actually a subsidiary of GWM, though the two names operate separately in South Africa, with the former providing SUVs while the latter focuses on commercial offerings like double and single-cab bakkies.

Illustrating this point are the third and fourth entries on the list, the Haval H6 and GWM P-Series, which have sold 3,045 units and 2,726 units, respectively.

Second place, however, was taken by Chery and its affordable Tiggo 4 Pro, which had 5,647 units find new homes between January and July 2023.

Chery is another relative newcomer in the country, having only re-opened its doors in late 2021, yet its quickly gone on to become a top-selling brand with its Tiggo Pro options regularly finding themselves on each month’s best-sellers lists.

The final Chinese manufacturer to feature here is JAC, another bakkie producer, which is set to introduce South Africa’s first hybrid and battery-electric double cabs in the near future.

Its current line-up consists of its T6 and T8 series, though it combines these models’ sales into a single figure.

Up-and-coming brands

These are the best-selling Chinese cars in South Africa in 2023 thus far, according to Naamsa’s new-vehicle sales reports.

Click on the underlined links to visit TopAuto Car Prices for information on pricing and new models on offer from the various manufacturers.


1. Haval Jolion – 5,708 units

  • Starting price – R344,950
  • Number of models – 8 units


2. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 5,647 units

  • Starting price – R308,900
  • Number of models – 5 units


3. Haval H6 – 3,045 units

  • Starting price – R484,750
  • Number of models – 6 units


4. GWM P-Series – 2,726 units

  • Starting price – R413,050
  • Number of models – 17 units


5. Chery Tiggo 7 Pro – 2,324 units

  • Starting price – R442,900
  • Number of models – 2 units


6. Chery Tiggo 8 Pro – 1,406 units

  • Starting price – R504,900
  • Number of models – 4 units


7. GWM Steed 5 – 729 units

  • Starting price – R299,950
  • Number of models – 5 units


8. JAC T Series – 286 units

JAC T6

  • T6 starting price – R354,900
  • Number of models – 3 units

JAC T8

  • T8 starting price – R449,900
  • Number of models – 2 units


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