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One of China\u2019s biggest vehicle manufacturers, Chery Group, is now number three in the South African market, according to January data from automotive business council Naamsa.<\/p>\n
Combined, the group has taken third position in terms of units sold from the Volkswagen Group Africa (VW), behind Toyota and Suzuki Auto. Chery sold a total of 5 221 vehicles in SA in January, against the 4 774 by VW.<\/p>\n
Breaking down the brands<\/strong><\/p>\n This is not immediately obvious as the group\u2019s brands Chery, Jetour, Omoda and Jaecoo are reported separately. These have been set up as distinct entities in the country (Chery Auto South Africa, Jetour South Africa, Omoda and Jaecoo South Africa).<\/p>\n In December, the combined sales for the group in South Africa was practically equal to that of Suzuki, with only a 0.5% gap (or 24 vehicles) between the two.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Anchor Capital first highlighted this in a January webinar, where CEO Peter Armitage noted how \u201cindustrial South Africa is changing\u201d with \u201cthings changing on the ground\u201d.<\/p>\n One could argue that combining Chery\u2019s sub-brands into a single figure is not strictly accurate, but there is precedent for this: the Volkswagen Group includes both VW and Audi while, similarly, BMW Group includes BMW and Mini.<\/p>\n Source: Naamsa<\/em><\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n * Both Toyota and VW have commercial units included in their domestic sales data (295 and 22, respectively). <\/em><\/p>\n Chinese SUVs<\/strong><\/p>\n The popularity of Chinese SUVs in South Africa, and globally, has been a growing trend, with four of these brands (GWM, Chery, Jetour as well as the combined group Omoda and Jaecoo) rocketing into the top 15 in terms of sales during 2025.<\/p>\n Chery Auto (alone) sold 2\u00a0258 vehicles in January, which places it seventh locally.<\/p>\n Jetour only entered this market in September 2024 and by July 2025, less than a year later, it was already in 15th<\/sup> place in terms of units sold.<\/p>\n Read: Its success in just 18 months has been astonishing \u2013 it is already in 11th<\/sup> position in terms of total units and 10th<\/sup> when it comes to passenger and light commercial vehicles (LCVs), comfortably ahead of Renault, Omoda and Jaecoo, Nissan, BMW Group and Stellantis (and Isuzu when it comes to only passenger and LCV sales).<\/p>\n Jaecoo launched in SA in early 2025, while Omoda entered the country in April 2023. Chery, GWM and Haval (the last of these is part of GWM) have been active in this market for more than five years. Chinese rival GWM (at 2\u00a0521 units) is sixth.<\/p>\n This is a more accurate depiction of that group\u2019s sales as this number includes all three of its brands in the country: Haval, GWM and Tank. There is now a sizeable gap (around 700 units) between six and seven and number eight, nine and 10.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT:<\/p>\n CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Shift in SA\u2019s automotive market<\/strong><\/p>\n WeBuyCars has says 2025 saw a \u201cstructural shift\u201d in the South African automotive market, \u201cdriven by the rapid entry and expansion of new Chinese manufacturers and other value-focused Asian brands\u201d.<\/p>\n Read: This helped boost new vehicle registrations, particularly between April and September, where growth was 15.5% compared with the same period in 2024.<\/p>\n Rather than a threat to the market\u2019s largest used vehicle dealer, \u201ceach new vehicle sold represents a future opportunity in the pre-owned market, either through trade-ins or direct sales\u201d.<\/p>\n WeBuyCars says \u201cnew vehicle sales from Chinese brands increased by 74.4%\u201d year-on-year, while other brands with \u201cvalue-for-money offerings\u201d including Suzuki grew by 26.4%.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In January, Chery SA and Nissan announced that the Chinese automaker would acquire Nissan\u2019s Rosslyn manufacturing plant, with the deal set to be finalised by the middle of 2026.<\/p>\n This comes as Nissan moves to shut seven factories globally by 2027, which it announced in May 2025.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT:<\/p>\n CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n At the time, it did not disclose which plants it would shut, but Rosslyn was thought to be on the list (along with others in Japan, Argentina, Mexico and India).<\/p>\n Global performance<\/strong><\/p>\n Chery Auto, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, sold a record 2.8 million vehicles globally, including 1.34 million outside of China (up 17% versus 2024).<\/p>\n The Chery brand comprises the bulk of these sales at 1.7 million, while it sold 622\u00a0000 Jetour models.<\/p>\n Listen:\u00a0SA\u2019s auto sector landscape: Tariffs, job losses, and calls for localisation<\/p>\n It has five major brands: Chery, Jetour, Exceed, iCar and Luxeed. Omoda and Jaecoo are effectively \u2018differently\u2019 branded Chery and Exceed vehicles \u201cmainly targeting overseas markets\u201d.<\/p>\n It says that in 2024 it was the \u201csecond-largest Chinese domestic brand passenger vehicle company and the 11th<\/sup> largest passenger vehicle company globally by sales\u201d.<\/p>\n Follow Moneyweb\u2019s in-depth finance and business news on WhatsApp here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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\n \n Sep 25<\/td>\n Oct 25<\/td>\n Nov 25<\/td>\n Dec 25<\/td>\n Jan 26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Toyota*<\/td>\n 14 146<\/td>\n 13 559<\/td>\n 13 576<\/td>\n 12 993<\/td>\n 11 786<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Suzuki<\/td>\n 6 072<\/td>\n 6 890<\/td>\n 6 385<\/td>\n 4 961<\/td>\n 6 410<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Volkswagen Group*<\/td>\n 5 763<\/td>\n 6 221<\/td>\n 6 044<\/td>\n 5 014<\/td>\n 4 774<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Chery Group<\/td>\n 4 280<\/td>\n 4 377<\/td>\n 5 149<\/td>\n 4 937<\/td>\n 5 221<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
The stunning rise of Chinese SUVs in South Africa
Chinese SUVs are \u2018iPhone moment\u2019 for rest of motor industry
SA auto sector faces perfect storm<\/p>\n
SA weighs steep tariffs on vehicles from China, India
The dtic considers ad valorem tax changes to lower car prices<\/p>\n\n