Just how well are Chinese vehicles selling in South Africa? Here’s a look at the sales figures for the 1st half of 2023…

Chinese automotive brands such as Haval and Chery are grabbing more and more market share in South Africa. But which are the most popular models? We’ve sorted through the sales figures – as reported to Naamsa – covering the 1st half of 2023 to identify the country’s best-selling Chinese vehicles.

For the record, we unfortunately can’t include BAIC and Chery’s Omoda here, since these brands don’t report monthly sales figures to Naamsa. In addition, we’ve concentrated on the passenger and light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segments, therefore excluding a handful of medium- and heavy-duty trucks from the likes of FAW and Powerstar.

So, what was the most popular Chinese vehicle in H1 2023? Well, that honour goes to the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, which managed 4954 registrations – peaking in February 2023 with 962 units – in the opening half of the year. That was furthermore enough for it to rank 8th on the list of SA’s best-selling passenger vehicles over the same period.

The Haval Jolion (4 785 units) was right on its tail, with its best month of 940 sales coming in March 2023. Next was the Haval H6, which ended the half-year term on 2633 registrations and managed to break into the top 20 best-selling passenger vehicles overall. The GWM P-Series followed on 2084 units (earning it 8th place on the list of SA’s most popular bakkies), just ahead of the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro (1926 units).

The GWM P-Series was SA’s best-selling Chinese bakkie in H1 2023.

The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro (1122 units) managed to crack 4 figures, too, while sales of the GWM Steed were down markedly year on year, with this bakkie ending H1 2023 on 586 units.

Other Chinese vehicles in the figures reported to Naamsa included the JAC T-Series range of bakkies (the firm unfortunately reports a combined figure for its T6 and T8 line-ups) on 244 units, as well as the upcoming fully electric GWM Ora (8 units, though likely all demonstrator vehicles) and the since-discontinued Haval H9 (2 units).

SA’s best-selling Chinese vehicles in H1 2023

1. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 4954 units

2. Haval Jolion – 4785 units

3. Haval H6 – 2633 units

4. GWM P-Series – 2084 units

5. Chery Tiggo 7 Pro – 1926 units

6. Chery Tiggo 8 Pro – 1122 units

7. GWM Steed – 586 units

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