Indian car brand making a comeback to South Africa – Details

Tata has signed a five-year agreement with Motus to distribute its passenger cars in South Africa.

Engineering News reports that Tata is among nine Asian brands the automotive giant is adding to its portfolio, which already includes powerhouses like Hyundai, Kia, Renault, and Mitsubishi.

Speaking at Motus’s interim results presentation for the six months ended 31 December 2024, CEO Ockert Janse van Rensburg said the company will reintroduce Tata cars to local roads in the second half of 2025.

“We landed a really big fish here,” he said.

Motus’s Tata division is currently in the process of homologating four vehicles to conform to domestic regulations, spanning entry-level cars and small-to-medium SUVs.

Janse van Rensburg added that the quality of Tata products had significantly improved since local buyers last got their hands on them.

“We believe that this is the sweet spot,” said Janse van Rensburg.

At launch, Tata will operate through 20 dealers in South Africa for the first 12 months.

The Indian conglomerate joins a growing list of brands who exited the South African market years ago but are once again seeing potential following the rise in popularity of Chinese and Indian autos, which have usurped market share from giants such as Toyota, VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and more.

While its trucks and buses continued to be sold in South Africa under its commercial vehicles division, Tata passenger cars haven’t been available on new showroom floors since 2019.

The announcement also comes as Tata’s arch rival Mahindra looks to set up a new vehicle factory on South African soil.

Motus bets big on China

With its headlining brands continuing to lose market share to Chinese and Indian rivals, Motus announced that it has welcomed eight Chinese nameplates to its catalogue.

Among these are Chery, GWM/Haval, and MG, which will henceforth be sold through multifranchise Motus dealers alongside more established nameplates.

Janse van Rensburg said it was tough to choose which Chinese companies to add to its portfolio among the slew of new entrants the country received in recent years, and that “one or two casualties” are expected in the future.

With the addition of these eight Chinese manufacturers, the number of individual brands under the Motus umbrella grows to an impressive 39 which are retailed through a network of 80-plus dealers across South Africa and its northern neighbours.