40% of car brands in South Africa are now Chinese

There are at least 55 passenger car and light commercial vehicle brands operating in South Africa, nearly 40% of which are Chinese.

This wasn’t always the case, as automakers from the People’s Republic have poured into South Africa in rapid succession over the past five years.

Brands like Chery and GWM have enjoyed great success in our market, which has evidently inspired several other companies to try their luck with the rapid introduction of new models from brands that most people are unlikely to recognise.

As of April 2026, there are 21 Chinese marques operating in South Africa, representing 38.1% of all the brands you can find in showrooms today.

The list of Chinese carmakers with a local presence now includes:

1. BAIC
2. BYD
3. Changan
4. Deepal
5. Chery
6. DFSK
7. Dongfeng
8. Foton
9. GAC
10. Geely
11. GWM
12. Haval
13. JAC
14. Jaecoo
15. Jetour
16. JMC
17. LDV
18. Lepas
19. Maxus
20. MG
21. Omoda

Note that this list includes sub-brands, as Deepal is part of a Changan, and Haval and Foton are part of GWM and BAIC, respectively.

Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour, and Lepas are all sub-brands under the Chery Holding Group, but they operate as independent entities in South Africa.

Similarly, Maxus, LDV, and MG fall under the SAIC Group.

One interesting fact to point out is that all of China’s “Big Four” state-owned manufacturers now have a presence in South Africa, comprising SAIC, Dongfeng, Changan, and FAW.

FAW is not included in the above list as it currently only sells medium and heavy commercial vehicles in South Africa.

More on the way

With 21 brands already in the country, you may think that China is starting to run out of new names to bring to South Africa.

However, the reality is that China has an estimated 150 active car brands, and South Africa is expected to receive at least another five in the near future.

The first of these is Denza, which is the luxury sub-division of electric carmaker BYD.

Denza is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2026 with at least one vehicle – the B5 – which is expected to compete with upmarket Adventure SUVs like the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest, and Land Rover Defender.

Next up is iCaur, yet another name under the Chery umbrella, which will arrive in May 2026.

iCaur is quite different to the other Chery brands, as it specializes in electric SUVs aimed at younger audiences.

Its first two models, the V23 and 03T, have a boxy retro-inspired design and will launch with electric powertrains, with a range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) option to follow at a later date.

The remaining three brands in the pipeline for South Africa are all subsidiaries of Geely.

Geely launched in South Africa in November 2025, confirming that it has future plans to introduce three sub-brands – Zeekr, Farizon, and Riddara.

Zeekr is the automaker’s luxury division, while Farizon produces electric trucks and vans for the commercial sector.

Riddara, meanwhile, offers a selection of electric double-cab bakkies.

Its first model, the RD6, will be locally distributed by Enviro Automotive, but an official release date has yet to be confirmed.