South Africa’s first electric SUV under R600,000
Chery Group’s subbrand iCaur is launching its first two models in South Africa in May 2026, with pricing expected to start from around R550,000.
Chery initially started using the iCar name for a petrol-powered pickup truck in 2007. It was later used to refer to Chery’s digital ecosystem and its network selling new energy vehicles.
In 2023, iCar was spun off as Chery’s electric vehicle (EV) brand. The company slightly adjusted the name by adding a “u” in certain markets.
That was reportedly to avoid legal troubles with Apple, which has preference for prefixing its product names with “i” and was still working on its own EV at the time.
However, the way in which Chery designed the iCaur logo makes it easy to miss the extra “u”, and many people may still read it as “iCar.”
For those who are Afrikaans and grew up in Pretoria, the pronunciation might be “iCaur” either way.
Chery initially said it wanted to launch its iCaur line-up in South Africa under another subbrand — Jaecoo — which had already started gaining traction in the country at that point.
However, it changed course in May 2025, shortly after announcing South Africa as one of the key iCaur markets at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show.
The brand recently announced plans to roll out 20 dealers across South Africa to provide a “complete iCaur experience” from the outset.
The first two models that will be available in South Africa are the fully-electric iCaur V23 and a range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) called the 03T.
The most affordable option will be the boxy V23, a Land Rover Defender-like SUV aimed at young urban drivers seeking an adventurous aesthetic.
Representatives of iCaur have told early testers that the V23’s indicative price in South Africa is R550,000 for the entry-level two-wheel drive version.
That would undercut the current most affordable electric SUV — the Geely EX5 — by roughly R150,000. It would also be the fourth-most affordable EV in South Africa.
Standout colours and extensive customisation
The entry-level V23 features a single motor on its rear axle with 100kW of power and 180Nm of torque, drawing energy from a 60kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery.
The battery offers 401km of range on the Chinese Light Testing Cycle (CLTC). The CLTC range is typically only about 80% of the more widely used Worldwide Harmonised Light-Duty Test Protocol (WLTP).
The WLTP range should therefore be closer to 330km, while a realistic highway speed range should be even 30% less, working out to 231km.
That might limit entry-level use to urban areas for people who don’t want to stop every two hours on a road trip.
The 85kW DC charging speed on the entry-level model should fill its battery from 10% to near full capacity in about an hour.
Chery expects the all-wheel-drive V23 to be priced around R650,000, still cheaper than the current most affordable electric SUV.
This iteration features dual motors — one per axle — with a combined output of 155kW and 292Nm of torque.
It has an 82kWh lithium NMC battery with 501km CLTC range, which should work out to about 411km on the WLTP cycle and 290km in highway driving.
The “lounge-inspired” cabin of the V23 boasts a panoramic sunroof and a 12.8-inch floating touchscreen with software powered by a Snapdragon 8155 chip.
All V23 models also boast vehicle-to-load (V2L), allowing users to power or charge other devices with up to 3.3kW output.
A key selling point for the model will be a wide range of bright colours and modular components, including quick-release fenders and bumpers that can be swapped without tools.
iCaur said there will be up to 24 interchange pieces, enabling a broad level of customisation to reflect each driver’s personal style.
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