This Chinese carmaker is the 2nd best-selling brand in South Africa
The Chery Group is the second-best-selling car brand in South Africa, outperforming other industry leaders like Suzuki, VW, Hyundai, and Ford.
Chery South Africa recorded double-digit sales growth in July 2026, helping it secure an ever-larger portion of the local market share.
The Chinese carmaker reported a 25.54% year-on-year (YoY) sales increase last month, putting it well ahead of the overall industry’s 13.8% increase.
With this, Chery South Africa now holds a 6.64% share of the local passenger car market. It was the fifth-best-selling passenger car company last month, and the sixth-best-selling brand overall.
According to the Automotive Business Council (Naamsa), Chery sold a total of 2,709 units in July, outperforming its main rival, GWM, which sold 2,504 units.
It also puts Chery right behind Ford, which came fifth in July with 2,927 sales. This is a continuation of the brand’s strong performance throughout 2026.
The automaker sold 14,593 vehicles between January and June 2026, representing a 24.9% increase from the 11,687 it sold over the same period in 2025.
Chery’s monthly sales increased from 2,258 units in January to 2,602 in June. “Each month in the first half exceeded the corresponding 2025 result, with April recording the highest percentage increase at 32.9%,” said the company.
June was the brand’s strongest month in the first half of 2026, with sales volumes increasing by 23.8% YoY. Chery’s average monthly sales have grown from 1,948 to 2,432 over the last year.
The Tiggo 4 Pro continues to be Chery’s most popular offering, accounting for 11,322 sales between January and June.
This was followed by the Tiggo 7 with 2,173 units, the Tiggo 8 with 816 units, and the flagship Tiggo 9 with 282 units.
“Chery’s July and first-half results show that the brand is gaining ground in a growing market,” said Jay Jay Botes, General Manager for Chery South Africa.
“Our sales have increased year on year in every month of 2026 so far, supported by consistent demand across the SUV range.”
The company noted that while its petrol models continue to account for most of its sales, it has recently introduced multiple hybrid and plug-in hybrid derivatives, such as the Tiggo Cross CSH HEV and Tiggo 8 CSH PHEV.
“Our focus is on maintaining sustainable growth by offering products that meet a broad range of customer needs,” said Botes.
“This includes providing a choice of powertrains and supporting customers through our national dealer and aftersales network.”
The Chery Group is now the second biggest car brand in South Africa
Chery is already the best-selling Chinese car brand in South Africa, but the Chery Group’s sales are even bigger once you factor in the sales of its sub-brands.
This includes Omoda and Jaecoo (O&J), Jetour, Lepas, and iCAUR, the latter two of which only launched a few months ago and have yet to begin reporting their sales to Naamsa.
Even without factoring in Lepas and iCAUR’s sales, the Chery Group is technically the second-best-selling car brand in South Africa now.
Chery sold 2,709 units in July, while Jetour sold 2,034 units, and Omoda and Jaecoo moved a combined 1,502 units.
Below is a breakdown of the 15 best-performing brands in July according to Naamsa, with Chery Group brands highlighted in red:
- Toyota – 14,142
- Suzuki – 5,994
- VW Group – 5,799
- Hyundai – 3,058
- Ford – 2,927
- Chery – 2,709
- GWM – 2,504
- Isuzu – 2,435
- Jetour – 2,034
- Kia – 1,920
- Omoda & Jaecoo – 1,502
- Mahindra – 1,458
- Renault – 1,360
- BMW Group – 1,256
- BYD – 860
Adding these together gives us a sales total of 6,245, which is more than the second-best-selling car brand in South Africa, Suzuki, which sold 5,994 vehicles last month.
Lepas and iCAUR will add to this total once they start reporting to Naamsa, though the Chery Group still has a long way to go before it can challenge Toyota’s overwhelming lead in South Africa.
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