Both marques will debut in the fourth quarter of the year via Saudi Arabia’s oldest vehicle importer, Jameel Motors, who enters the local market for the first time.
Ahead of imminent return of Chinese vehicle giant Geely after more than two decades, Saudi Arbian-based Jameel Motors has announced its first foray into the local market from the fourth quarter of the year as the importer for Changan and Deepal products.
An announcement that will up to South Africa’s Chinese vehicle count to 14 after BYD, Chery, Dayun, Foton, Great Wall Motors (GWM) Haval, JAC, Jaecoo, Jetour, GAC Motor, LDV, MG and Omoda, the two-pronged market approach will see Changan focus solely on combustion engine products, with Deepal being an all-electric brand.
One of Saudi Arbian’s oldest companies established in 1945, and whose automative division has been importing Toyotas since 1955, Jameel has since also established ties with Lexus, BYD, GAC Motor, Geely, MG and now Changan/Deepal, as well as Ford in no less than 10 markets.
The importer for the mentioned brands in various African countries, namely Egypt and Algeria, its arrival in South Africa will be gradual as initially, it will operate mainly in the large cities with Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban being initial dealership keys.
Accordingly, it plans to open a maximum of 35 dealers by 2027, although unlike Chery with its Jetour and Omoda & Jaecoo divisions, neither Changan nor Deepal will be sold separately from different dealers as individual brands.
Already present in select market right-hand-drive markets, the initial range of Changan vehicles, a brand better known as Chana that marketed the Suzuki Carry-aping Star bakkie and Rainbow panel van, as well as the tiny Benni hatch over two decades ago, will consist of three radically different products in the form of an SUV, bakkie and compact sedan.
Introduced last year as a step-up from the standard CS75 that debuted in 2019 as a second generation model in China, the Changan X7 will formely adopt the CS75 Pro moniker as part of its first mid-life update introduced earlier this year.
Providing seating for five, the unibody CS75 Pro has an overall length of 4 742 mm, height of 1 720 mm, width of 1 870 mm and wheelbase of 2 786 mm.
Initially sold under Changan’s now discontinued Oshan brand, the CS75 Plus will derive power from an in-house made 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 138kW/300Nm. Drive will go to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
At the other end of the scale, the Alsvin sedan will take-up station as the de facto replacement for the discontinued Nissan Almera, and direct rival to the Honda Amaze, Kia Pegas and Suzuki DZire.
Introduced in its current third generation back in 2017, but with a series of revisions applied since then, the Alsvin measures 4 390 mm long, 1 725 mm wide and 1 490 mm tall.
In both China and Pakistan where production commenced three years ago, the Alsvin offers a choice of two normally aspirated petrol engine, both approved for South Africa; a 1.4 developing 74kW/135Nm and 1.5 rated at 77kW/145Nm.
The standard transmission for the former is a five-speed manual with the latter getting a five-speed dual-clutch as its only option.
For its third and final model, Changan will introduce its version of the Peugeot Landtrek known in the People’s Republic as the Hunter.
Not expected to compete direct with the Landtrek that will be build locally from 2026, the Hunter comes with the same dimensions, but will only be sold as a double cab powered by the same 110kW/350Nm 1.9-litre turbodiesel engine.
On the Deepal side, a marque founded 17 years ago and as manufacturer of cars in 2017, the S07 will debut first two years after going on-sale in China, and less than 12 months after its first revision.
Unveiled in Australia earlier this year, the five-seat S07 has an overall length of 4 750 mm, width of 1 930 mm, height of 1 625 mm and wheelbase of 2 900 mm.
Its ground clearance standing at 145 mm, the S07 makes uses of an 80-kWh battery pack that drives a single electric motor mounted on the rear axle.
Producing 160kW/320Nm, the Australian-market S07 will get from 0-100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and travel 475 km between visits to the plug.
Supporting charging DC charging up to 92 kW, which will reduce waiting time to 35 minutes from 30-80%, the S07 will, however, have a seven kilowatt on-board as standard that will require eight hours using a conventional AC outlet.
Entering 2026, the Changan range will grow by four additional vehicles, one a fully electric bakkie, a range extending electric bakkie and two combustion engine SUVs.
Set to be positioned below the CS75 Pro, the CS35 Plus will, in effect, become Changan’s entry-level model, but also oldest at its first went on-sale in 2018 before adopting its current look four years ago as part of a mid-life facelift.
Measuring 4 335 mm long, 1 825 mm high and 1 660 mm tall with its wheelbase rated at 2 600 mm, the Mercedes-Benz GLB-inspired CS35 Plus is motivated by the same 1.4-litre engine as the Alsvin, but with the addition of a turbocharger that ups power and torque to 118kW/260Nm.
The only transmission option is a seven-speed dual-clutch, with drive again going to the front wheels only.
For its final roll-out in 2026, the CS55 Plus will take-up station between the CS35 Plus and CS75 Plus as Changan’s rival for the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro and incoming facelift GWM Haval H6.
A unibody SUV with five seats similar to its siblings, the CS55 Plus stands 4 515 mm long, 1 856 mm wide and 1 680 mm tall. Its wheelbase is 2 656 mm.
Unsurprisingly, it utilises the same engine as the CS75 Plus and with the same 138kW/300Nm outputs. The seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box is again the only gearbox only.
On the Deepsal side, an electric B-segment SUV will be made available, along with a bigger C-segment SUV in both electric and range-extending guises. For now, details about both are unknown.
“By leveraging Jameel Motors’ extensive experience and Changan Automobile’s renowned focus on safety, quality, and technology, I believe we can effectively meet the diverse automotive demands of South African drivers and deliver a positive market experience,” Jameel Motors South Africa Country Manager, Marinus Venter, said.
Given the Jameel’s arrival only before end, pricing of the various Changan and Deepal products will only be announced then.
Article being updated
