Major Chinese car brand Geely is coming back to South Africa

Source: @GeelyAutoGlobal on X

Speculation of the brand's return grew after news circulated last year that the automotive Chinese giant made several trademark applications, one of which includes Riddara, a bakkie-focused sub-brand.

Gan explained that the South African market falls in line with its global expansion plan. Geely recently opened shop in Australia and New Zealand.

"The Australia-New Zealand market serves as a starting point for our globalisation strategy. This year we will accelerate overseas market expansion by introducing premium vehicles to markets like the UK, Brazil, and South Africa.

"Our global network channels are expected to exceed 1,100 by year-end to provide users with better vehicle experiences. Within the next three years, eight EVs developed on our GEA platform will successfully enter overseas markets," Gan said.

What cars will Geely bring to South Africa?

As there's no confirmation from Geely as to what cars it will bring here, we are left to speculate. However, it's safe to assume that some of the eight EVs mentioned by Gan will arrive in the South African market sometime.

The Geely X5, which is an electric SUV, will also most likely launch in South Africa, seeing that it found a place in the Australia-New Zealand market with the brand's launch over there. The X5 in Australia and New Zealand will reportedly be offered with a 60.22kWh battery that can deliver 430km of WLTP range.

Another interesting potential arrival here is the Riddara sub-brand, which currently has an EV bakkie as its sole offering, the RD6. The RD6 comes in either 4x2 or 4x4. The latter is capable of completing the 0-100km dash in 4.5s, which is hardly surprising. Its dimensions are 5,260mm long, 1,900mm wide, and 1,865mm tall with a 221mm ground clearance.

The RD6

Another model that Geely could possibly introduce to South Africa is the EX3, as it's reported that the company applied to trademark its name sometime last year. The EX3 is a subcompact crossover and falls under Geely's Geometry sub-brand. The EX3 is reported to have and e-motor hooked up to a 37.23kWh battery that produces 70kW /180Nm.