From BAIC to JAC: All SA’s Chinese vehicle marques revealed

The believe that came to light two decades ago has officially come to fruition; Chinese vehicles are here and soon, we will all be driving them.

Although not yet implacable to every South African, the rate of development by automakers from the People’s Republic has been such that memories of their initial arrival on local soil has become a distant memory.

Put simply, Chinese cars are fast winning the minds and crucially, wallets of buyers for being exceptionally well-priced and for having features you wouldn’t normally expect at the sticker price asked.

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The outcome, as evident by the February National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) sales is obvious, with Great Wall Motors (GWM)’s Haval division placing ahead of favourites such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Mazda, while resurgent marque, Chery, celebrated sales of 10 000 units in February, after returning to South Africa two years ago.

At present, five Chinese automakers have a presence in South Africa, with an indirect sixth being Malaysian brand Proton, whose X50 and X70 SUVs are spun-off models derived from Chinese parent company Geely.

The focus though is one the brands that originate from China and as such, The Citizen has provided a short history of each, together with their respective products and pricing.

BAIC

One of China’s oldest automakers, BAIC, or Beijing Automotive Industrial Corporation, has been operating since 1958, with perhaps one of its most recognisable vehicles being the Beijing Jeep (BJ) that continues to be produced today after 58 years.

Despite an early alliance with the long defunct American Motor Corporation (AMC) to sell Jeeps in China going astray in the late 1980s, the brand, today, acts as parent for the Foton marque, in addition to having joint ventures with Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz under the Beijing-Hyundai and Beijing-Benz banners.

More rocky as has been BAIC’s presence in South Africa though that started with the D20 hatch and sedan launched and sold by stealth, followed by the crossover-inspired X25 that sold in slightly better numbers.

Even more bizarre was the opening of a new plant in the Coega IDZ in Port Elizabeth in 2018, now Gqeberha, that has seemingly been a white elephant despite the brand stating obvious.

Matters have seemingly been improving though as last year, it unveiled the X55 that falls under the premium Beijing brand, while the BJ range, minus the ‘J’, consists of the B40 Plus and soon, the B80.

Pricing

B40 Plus: R564 500 – R669 500

Beijing X55: R394 900 – R454 900

Chery

Founded in 1997 and, therefore, one of China’s newest automakers, Chery’s first attempt came after by of a licensing agreement with Volkswagen to sell the first generation Seat Toledo in China under the A11 and Windcloud names.

Since then, it has become one of the biggest marques in China in addition to being one of the first Chinese brands to set-up shop in South America and certain African markets.

In South Africa, Chery’s initial arrival sparked less than favourable comments for its copies of the Daewoo Matiz and Toyota RAV4 that were the QQ3 and RAV4. Later models, the J1 and J5, also failed to gain a foothold and by 2018, it departed the local market after what had been nine years.

Since returning in 2021, with a range of radically different SUVs, the Tiggo 4 Pro, Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro, the brand’s popularity has skyrocketed to the point where everything that happened in the past no longer has any recollection.

Pricing

Tiggo 4 Pro: R299 900 – R399 900

Tiggo 7 Pro: R437 900 – R472 900

Tiggo 8 Pro: R496 900 – R629 900

Great Wall Motors (GWM)

Perseverance has been the key for GWM as is today, it remains the only Chinese automaker to have remained in South Africa without leaving or reinventing itself since the influx began two decades ago.

A powerhouse not only in China, but also Australia, South America and even parts of Europe, the now almost four decade old marque has come a long away since the early days of the Hover SUV and the Nissan Hardbody faced Isuzu copy-cat bakkies.

Celebrating 16 years in South Africa this year, GWM very much now rates as a bakkie nameplate as its premium division, Haval, has taken over the SUV and crossover mantle.

As such, the GWM name features only the Steed and P-Series bakkies, both strong sellers with the latter having been a particular success since its debut in South Africa two year ago.

Pricing

Steed: R233 950 – R406 950

P-Series: R404 950 – R640 950

Haval

Officially launched 10 years ago this month, Haval entered South Africa in 2018 as GWM’s version of what Lexus is to Toyota.

Stemming from earlier models such as the H2 and H6 that become hugely successful, the introduction of Jolion in 2021 catapulted Haval to new highs with sales exceeding expectations and often bridging 1 000 units a month.

More recently, Haval debuted the H6, complete with the GT and HEV hybrid versions, as well as the Jolion S and HEV that looks set to continue its massive rise despite the threat posed by Chery.

Pricing

Jolion: R342 950 – R579 950

H6: R479 950 – R669 950

JAC

Initially called Hefei before having its name changed in 1997 after what had been 33 years, JAC Motors, short for Jianghuai Automobile Company, has forged its success by way of joint ventures with Volkswagen, Hyundai and DR Automotive that sells it’s vehicles with DR badging in Italy.

Although renowned for the infamous Sehol brand produced in conjunction with Seat and Volkswagen, the marque is perhaps better known for its commercial vehicles ranging from bakkies to light-duty trucks often powered by engines sourced from Isuzu.

This is the case in South Africa where, since 2017, JAC has been selling the T-Series bakkie range set to be supplemented by the T9 later this year, and the X-Series line-up of small trucks.

Despite being lesser known than BAIC, Chery, GWM or Haval, JAC has made steady progress, with the unveiling of the T9 tipped to be watershed moment for the brand.

Pricing

T-Series: R354 900 – R499 900

X-Series: R329 900 – R374 900