China-made motor sales surge in South Africa, cutting into rival brands’ market dominance

Name: How Chinese companies have pulled ahead of Tesla in the electric vehicle race
Uploaded: 2025-10-18T04:00:10.000Z
Duration: 10 min 8 s
Description: How Chinese companies have pulled ahead of Tesla in the electric vehicle race

‘Unmissable’ trend of Chinese cars on Johannesburg’s roads signals a strong future, as companies consider building new manufacturing plants

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South Africans are increasingly drawn to Chinese brands due to their affordability and feature-rich vehicles. Photo: Xinhua

Jevans Nyabiage

Published: 12:00pm, 18 Oct 2025Updated: 3:05pm, 18 Oct 2025

Just a few years ago, Chinese-made cars were rare on South African roads, with manufacturers seen only as fringe players. However, this is changing rapidly, as Chinese carmakers now outsell some established Western, American and Japanese brands.

In recent years, South Africans have increasingly been buying Chinese brands like Chery and Haval, a subsidiary of Great Wall Motor (GWM), driven by affordability and feature-rich vehicles. Banking on growing demand, several Chinese car brands are now eyeing manufacturing and assembly plants in South Africa.

The cars are largely internal combustion engine vehicles, but there is no reason to doubt that electric vehicles will follow suit.

The South African SUV market saw a major shift between January and August compared to the same period last year, according to S&P Global Mobility.

Together, Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) grew their sales volume by as much as 86 per cent, boosting their total market share to 15 per cent. This was driven by Chery, whose volume rose 27 per cent to more than 16,000 units, and Haval, which saw a 45 per cent surge to over 12,000 units, according to S&P Global Mobility.

10:08

How Chinese companies have pulled ahead of Tesla in the electric vehicle race

Although Japanese leaders Toyota and Suzuki still command the largest volumes, their individual dominance is waning, with both brands recording a decline in market share in the same period.

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China-made motor sales surge in South Africa, cutting into rival brands’ market dominance

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘Unmissable’ trend of Chinese cars on Johannesburg’s roads signals a strong future, as companies consider building new manufacturing plants

‘Unmissable’ trend of Chinese cars on Johannesburg’s roads signals a strong future, as companies consider building new manufacturing plants