Yet another Chinese automotive brand has announced its entry into South Africa.
Jetour Auto, a fast-growing SUV brands in China, told an online press conference last week that it will enter the South African market in September 2024, with an instant roll-out of 40 dealerships across the country.
However, it is not a new manufacturer: Jetour was launched by the Chery Holding Group in 2018. The company says it created the brand “in response to market trends and consumer demand for vehicles that combine innovative design, advanced technology, and affordability”.
Since inception, however, Jetour has operated independently in the global market, with dedicated R&D, manufacturing facilities, sales and aftersales channels. It will also operate independently in the South African market.
Over the last five years, Jetour has sold over 1,18-million vehicles globally across five product lines, with over 1,200 partners in over 60 countries and regions worldwide.
Johnny Fang, managing director of Jetour in South Africa, says the company will be targeting sales of 800 units monthly within the first year of operation, with their Jetour X70 Plus and Dashing models as the first in the local market. Priorities locally will include enhanced service quality and availability of parts.
“Our state-of-the-art parts warehouse in Kyalami, spanning 4,000 square meters and housing up to 82,000 parts, only strengthens our commitment to customer satisfaction, providing customers with the parts needed, when they need them, with the efficiency and reliability that they’d expect,” he says.
Jetour says that, by integrating extensive data analytics and intelligent manufacturing equipment, its goal is “to produce safer, more comfortable, more intelligent and eco conscious automobiles”.
The name is A combination of “Jet” meaning sleek, fast, successful and victorious, and “Tour” which references the brand’s ethos of freedom and adventure. As a result, says the company, Jetour is set to become a vehicle synonymous with lifestyle and travel, backed by innovation, reliability, and sustainability.
The new automotive brand will target “the mid to high-level consumer looking for comfort, elegance, safety and reliability, with expert aftersales service”. Its tagline is “Drive Your Future”.