Chinese carmaker Chery to launch hybrids in South Africa

From the newsletter

Omoda & Jaecoo, divisions of Chinese automaker Chery Group, are set to launch two hybrid vehicles in South Africa this week.  The Omoda C9 & Jaecoo J7 will debut in a road trip to test the stated more than 1, 000 km combined range with no fuel stops. Chery is also planning to launch the all-electric Omoda E5 in the country. 

• The plug-in hybrid Omoda C9 utilises a petrol engine paired with a powerful 19.4 kWh battery pack. The car has an all-electric range of 150 km and a combined range of 1,100 km.  

• The J7 has 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol and an 18.3 kWh lithium phosphate battery pack. The vehicle has an all-electric range of 90 km and a combined range of 1,200 km.

More details

• Omoda and Jaecoo are sold under the O&J Brand in South Africa. Omoda launched in the country in April 2023 as Chery’s flagship brand. The brand focuses on modern and sporty vehicles, while Jaecoo focuses on urban offroad vehicles.

• Chery’s stable of vehicles includes ICEs, hybrids and full electric vehicles. Through its O&J Brand, the company targets to sell 1.4 million vehicles by 2030. This is part of the reason why they launched in Africa.

• Last week, the fully-electric Omoda E5 was launched in Morocco by CFAO Mobility. The car has a 61 kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery which provides a WLTP-rated range of 430 km. Fast charging capabilities allow 30% to 80% charging in 28 minutes using an 80 kW DC charger, while full AC charging at 11 kW takes between 3-4 hours.

• Back in South Africa, plug-in hybrid vehicles are becoming more popular as consumers seek to reduce fuel consumption and lower their environmental impact. Toyota is the leading brand in the hybrid market, with models like the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid being particularly popular.

• 737 PHEVs were sold in 2024, up 100% from 368 units sold in 2023. However, PHEVs only made up 0.14% of total vehicle sales in South Africa in 2024. This is out of a total of 531,775 vehicles that were sold in the country during the year.

• BMW’s X1 plugin hybrid was the most selling PHEV in 2024, selling 145 units. BMW took second place as well, with its X3 registering 97 units sold in 2024. The plugin hybrid version of the BMW X3 is built in Pretoria, South Africa. 

Our take

• The entry of Omoda C9 and J7 shows the increased demand for PHEVs will likely attract more automakers to introduce their models in South Africa. Toyota, for example, plans to increase its hybrid sales in South Africa and introduce new hybrid models to meet growing consumer demand.

• South Africa's EV charging infrastructure is still developing, which can be a challenge for fully electric vehicles. However, hybrids offer a convenient middle ground, providing the benefits of electric power with the flexibility of an ICE.

• EVs and hybrids are on average still more expensive than their ICE counterparts in South Africa. However, their prices are coming down steadily, making them more competitive. The introduction of new models and brands will increase competition and likely reduce prices further.