Tired of high car prices? These new Chinese brands are launching in SA this year
South Africa’s new vehicle market is set for further expansion in 2026 as 6 new arrivals take the number of Chinese brands to more than 20. Who are the newcomers – Lepas, iCaur, Denza, Zeekr, Farizon and Riddara – and why should they be on your radar?
There’s simply no let-up in the arrival of new Chinese brands to the South African car market. The last two years saw power players like Jaecoo, Omoda and Jetour almost immediately rocket to respectable chunks of local market share.
Similarly, former entrants such as BAIC, MG, JAC and Changan have re-entered the ring with an improved product focus. As all of these importers continue finding a captive audience for their competitively priced and well-specced vehicles, the floodgates will stay open in 2026 as at least another 6 new Chinese brands are set to be established in Mzansi.
Interestingly – and for a degree of peace of mind for skeptics – the debuting Lepas, iCaur, Denza, Zeekr, Farizon, and Riddara marques are all subsidiaries of established Chinese automotive parent companies.
Who are they & should you care?
| Brand | Parent company | Key models | Estimated launch date | Vehicle type |
| Lepas | Chery Group | L4, L6, L8 | March | Premium crossovers |
| iCaur | Chery Group | 03T, V23 | May | Retro-lifestyle EVs |
| Denza | BYD | B5, B8 | Mid-year | Ultra-luxury NEVs |
| Zeekr | Geely | X, 001 | Q3 | High-performance tech |
| Riddara | Geely | RD6 | Late-2026 | Electric/PHEV bakkies |
| Farizon | Geely | SV, V6E | Q4 | Commercial/last-mile |
The Chery expansion: What we know about Lepas & iCaur
Notwithstanding the appeal of its affiliate labels Jaecoo, Jetour and Omoda, Chery ranks as one of the top-selling Chinese marques in the country. It’s just introduced Lepas, which is positioned slightly above the Tiggo portfolio. The range will comprise the compact L4 (Haval Jolion-sized), mid-size L6 (Mazda CX-5) and large L8 (Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace) model line-up.
Engines are expected to be carryovers, so expect to see Chery’s turbocharged 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre power units, as well as plug-in hybrid option.
Lepas L8 (2026) International Launch Review
By mid-year, Chery will introduce the retro-modern iCaur line, which stars the 03T urban SUV and Land Rover Defender-inspired V23. Early models will be EV-only, with a range-extender option made available closer to the year-end or early in 2027.
Pricing has been announced to start from R550 000 and it’s anticipated that the V23 range will also spawn a lifestyle double cab bakkie.
The full-size V27 SUV has also been confirmed for South Africa. It uses a turbocharged 1.5-litre engine solely as a range-extender, enabling a combined range of 1 000 km on a single tank. Its 335 kW output is said to be able to produce a 5.0-second 0-100 km/h sprint time.
Read more: iCaur V27 confirmed for South Africa in 2026
Luxury EVs and lifestyle tech: Enter Denza & Zeekr
If ultra-luxury and high-performance tech is your thing, BYD’s upcoming Denza and Geely’s Zeekr ranges are sure to scratch that itch.
Aping the same brand strategy of Lexus as a right-side-of-the-railroad-track Toyota, the Denza B5 is a Prado-sized body-on-frame luxury SUV. It’s propelled by the Shark’s 1.5-litre turbo/plug-in hybrid powertrain. The latter is good for a 100 km EV-only and combined 1 200 km range. Expected pricing varies between R1.2 and R1.4 million.
The bigger B8 takes aim at the Toyota Land Cruiser 300. With 3 electric motors and a plug-in hybrid setup, total claimed power in conjunction with its 2.0-litre turbo engine is 550 kW. That enables a claimed 4.8-second 0-100 kph blast.
BYD plans to have 300 countrywide fast-charging stations up and running by year’s end, each said to deliver a 400 km charge in just 5 minutes.
The Geely Group gets credit for introducing no fewer than half of the brands listed here.
Zeekr is one of the few new Chinese brands to directly target premium German marques with a still-to-be-confirmed fleet ranging in size from a compact crossover to a luxury MPV providing – in most cases – supercar-scaring performance.
The gateway X model is a Volvo EX30-type executive city crossover available in single- (200 kW) or twin-motor (319 kW) setups.
The 001 is a sporty shooting brake similarly offered with a choice of multiple motor arrangements. Maximum power is 400 kW, while the range tops out at 750 km.
The 7X is a mid-size crossover powered by a choice of motors, with outputs ranging between 310 kW and 585 kW. 2026 versions feature a 900 V electric system for brisk charging (10-80% in 13 minutes), and a sub-4.0-second 0-100 kph sprint.
Balancing high-performance and high-tech with European quality and safety, the 7X personifies the Chinese onslaught of previously mainstream market strongholds.
Finally, the premium people-moving 009 takes the above concept, but repackages it as a Mercedes V-Class-contender, except adding hot hatch levels of performance. There’s a 30-speaker Yamaha sound system, enough acres of Nappa leather to make environmentalists weep, dual-chamber air suspension, an 8.6-litre hot/cold compartment for beverages and more screens than your nearest Hi-Fi Corporation. Best of all, it’ll race to 100 kph in 5.8 seconds and cover nearly 600 km between recharges.
Riddara RD6: Will 2026 be the year of the electric bakkie?
The launch of the 9th-generation Toyota Hilux may be this year’s biggest bakkie news, yet don’t discount the possible disruption when the Riddara RD6 arrives.
For starters, it’s constructed not as a body-on-frame (à la Hilux, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, et al), but as a comfort-boosting monocoque using high-strength materials to minimally impact structural rigidity. while that makes the RD6 more of a leisurely lifestyle bakkie than an outright boulder buster, in truth its true potential is best unleashed on the drag strip.
Read more: Geely’s 315 kW Riddara RD6 electric bakkie coming to SA!
The range is split between the 2WD/4WD Econ grade (180 kW/309 Nm and 280 kW/485 Nm); the Standard (200 kW/384 Nm) and the Ford Raptor-beating Horizon über-version, capable of 315 kW/595 Nm and a 4.5-second 0-100 kph sprint. Cue the new robot-to-robot ranch truck ruler.
Fully-loaded in terms of tech, luxury and active safety, the RD6 can even power 6 kW of auxiliary devices during camping or off-site jobs. Maximum claimed range is 424 km, load-lugging is set at a tonne and towing capacity up to 3 tonnes, depending on output.
Still want that Shark?
Read more: Geely Riddara RD6 PHEV Announced
Farizon & beyond: The tuture of China’s 20-brand influx
The final of Geely’s threesome of incoming new Chinese brands is Farizon. The SV (short for Supervan) is a full-size, 5-metre-long light commercial vehicle with a 1 300 kg payload and is powered by a 169 kW electric motor capable of cruising for 400 km when fitted with the biggest available battery.
Although a by-wire driver/vehicle interface is nothing new, the headline news here is that the SV takes this to a whole new level, incorporating this tech not just to control the throttle, but also steering, braking and shifting. This, Geely says, allows for greater energy recovery, shorter braking distances and sharper steering, though very likely at the cost of feel.
Meanwhile, the V6E panel van is a (slightly) downscaled, less sophisticated iteration of the SV focused on urban logistics, and has a 260 km range and a 70 kW electric motor.
Electric vans are unchartered territory in SA. However, in Europe there’s an electrified version of the Ford Transit Custom and the Volkswagen ID.Buzz Cargo. The remoteness between urban centres renders inter-provincial travel somewhat of a no-no for all types of EVs. Besides, downtime owing to charging necessities equals money lost for courier companies.
The math works for the metro, but it fails for the vast distances of the greater country. Until range anxiety is a relic of the past, Farizon vans are likely to remain a vanishing point on the South African horizon.