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Casualties coming? Ford SA boss warns some brands won’t survive
With the influx of Chinese marques into South Africa, the head of Ford’s local division has warned of potential brand “casualties” in the years to come…
- Ford SA boss says some brands won’t survive
- “Definitely going to be some casualties…”
- Dealer groups financially “under pressure”
The head of Ford Motor Company Africa has warned that there are “definitely going to be some [brand] casualties” in the coming years as the influx of new Chinese automakers into South Africa’s new-vehicle market continues.
Neale Hill, President of Ford Motor Company Africa, made the comments during a wide-ranging interview in Cars.co.za’s custom-built podcast booth at Naamsa’s SA Auto Week 2026 event in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in October.
“I think the next couple of years are going to be absolutely pivotal. I think that there’s definitely going to be some casualties – [that’s] the way I would describe it. I think we are going to see some brands that have come into the country not be here in a period of time,” Hill told us.
While GWM has been in SA for nearly 20 years, BAIC for around a decade and Chery for 5 years (in its second stint), several other Chinese marques – including BYD, Changan, Dongfeng, Foton, GAC, Geely and JMC – have arrived in more recent times. The Chery Group has furthermore rolled out various sub-brands, such as Omoda & Jaecoo, Jetour, iCaur and Lepas.
With the influx of Chinese marques into South Africa, the head of Ford’s local division has warned of potential brand “casualties” in the years to come…
- Ford SA boss says some brands won’t survive
- “Definitely going to be some casualties…”
- Dealer groups financially “under pressure”
The head of Ford Motor Company Africa has warned that there are “definitely going to be some [brand] casualties” in the coming years as the influx of new Chinese automakers into South Africa’s new-vehicle market continues.
Neale Hill, President of Ford Motor Company Africa, made the comments during a wide-ranging interview in Cars.co.za’s custom-built podcast booth at Naamsa’s SA Auto Week 2026 event in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in October.
“I think the next couple of years are going to be absolutely pivotal. I think that there’s definitely going to be some casualties – [that’s] the way I would describe it. I think we are going to see some brands that have come into the country not be here in a period of time,” Hill told us.
While GWM has been in SA for nearly 20 years, BAIC for around a decade and Chery for 5 years (in its second stint), several other Chinese marques – including BYD, Changan, Dongfeng, Foton, GAC, Geely and JMC – have arrived in more recent times. The Chery Group has furthermore rolled out various sub-brands, such as Omoda & Jaecoo, Jetour, iCaur and Lepas.