The Chinese brand which sells more cars in South Africa than BMW, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz
The Chinese car brand Jetour has been in South Africa for less than two years, yet it is already outselling established industry titans like BMW, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz.
Jetour made its debut in September 2024 with an initial offering of two urban SUVs, which immediately gained traction with local buyers.
Since then, the brand has introduced two more vehicles, and its sales have climbed to the point where it regularly features in each month’s top 10 best-sellers list.
Jetour is one of several sub-brands under the Chery Group. However, it initially elected to launch independently of its parent company in South Africa.
Its first two cars, the Dashing and X70 Plus midsize SUVs, are marketed as premium offerings compared to Chery’s own Tiggo Pro family of crossovers and SUVs.
Despite being luxury offerings, the five-seater Dashing and the seven-seater X70 Plus are substantially more affordable than comparable models from other brands.
The Dashing has a starting price of R429,900, while an equivalent VW SUV, the Tiguan, starts at R668,100. Similarly, the X70 Plus starts at R444,900, while the seven-seater VW Tayron starts at R811,900.
The relative affordability of Jetour and many other Chinese car brands has been a core part of their success in South Africa, where motorists are struggling with a stagnant economy and rapidly growing prices for legacy automakers.
This is reflected in the industry sales data compiled by the Automotive Business Council (Naamsa), which shows that luxury brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz have experienced a decline in sales.
At the same time, new competitors from Asia, such as Jetour, Suzuki, and Mahindra, have rapidly grown in popularity since the start of the decade.
These are the latest Naamsa industry sales figures for July 2026.
- Toyota – 14,142 units
- Suzuki – 5,994 units
- VW Group – 5,799 units
- Hyundai – 3,058 units
- Ford – 2,927 units
- Chery – 2,709 units
- GWM – 2,504 units
- Isuzu – 2,435 units
- Jetour – 2,034 units
- Kia – 1,920 units
- Omoda & Jaecoo – 1,502 units
- Mahindra – 1,458 units
- Renault – 1,360 units
- BMW Group – 1,256 units
- BYD – 860 units
- Tata Motors – 800
- Stellantis – 672 units
- Nissan – 604 units
- Mercedes-Benz – 564 units
- Foton – 532 units
Jetour, despite being a relatively new badge, is now among the top 10 best-selling brands in South Africa, while long-time favourites like BMW, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz have fallen out of favour.
This is noteworthy given that BMW and Mercedes have their own manufacturing presence on our soil. BMW has a production plant in Rosslyn that produces the X3 SUV, while Mercedes has a facility in East London making the C-Class sedan.
Nissan used to have a factory in Rosslyn that produced the Navara bakkie; however, it sold its plant to Chery earlier this year due to the brand’s global financial struggles.
Jetour’s big plans for South Africa
While the Dashing and X70 Plus were well received, the brand’s sales rapidly increased with the launch of its next two SUVs, the T1 and T2 Adventure.
In contrast to its other two urban-focused models, the T-badged SUVs are marketed as lifestyle vehicles well-suited for city driving and outdoor excursions.
This puts them in the same category as local favourites like the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest, and Land Rover Defender.
However, they are much more affordable. The cheapest T1 starts at R514,900, while the entry-level Fortuner starts at R692,800.
The T-Series was an instant hit, pushing Jetour from a top-15 best-selling brand to a top-10 best-selling brand practically overnight.
The company has since doubled down on the T1 and T2’s success with new plug-in hybrid variants that offer substantially more power and the option of fully electric driving, reducing fuel consumption.
This is another advantage for Jetour, as most legacy brands in South Africa have yet to introduce new-energy-vehicle options despite the growing demand for fuel-efficient powertrains.
Jetour has major plans for the local market, as it plans to assemble vehicles at Chery’s newly acquired factory in Gauteng. Ahead of the plant’s opening, Jetour confirmed that the T1 and T2 were two of the five models it plans to build at the site.
“The increasingly popular T-Series, launched in South Africa in October last year, will begin local production at the plant from next year,” the carmaker said.
Other cars from the Chery Group will also be assembled at Rosslyn, including the Jaecoo J5, Chery Tiggo Cross, and the Lepas L4. Production is scheduled to start in mid-2027.
Jetour Dashing
Jetour X70 Plus
Jetour T1
Jetour T2
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