Feature: Chinese cars gain popularity in Botswana

A visitor asks about the Chery brand during the 9th edition of the Shell Gaborone Motor Show in Gaborone, the Botswanan capital, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

GABORONE, May 4 (Xinhua) -- At the 9th edition of the Shell Gaborone Motor Show in Gaborone, the Botswanan capital, Chinese auto brands such as Haval, Cherry, Tank, and JAC generated interest among local car enthusiasts.

Over the last five years, Chinese-made vehicles have entered the competitive landscape of Botswana's automotive industry.

Chinese brands such as Chery, Haval, JAC, and BAIC are gaining popularity among Botswanan consumers, who value the vehicles' build quality, durability, and reliability.

Bellson Othomile, sales executive at Motor Holdings Botswana, said Haval is a popular brand in Gaborone and across Botswana.

"The brand has a lot to offer in terms of cost, technology, automotive design, and comfort. Chinese cars are starting to become a good alternative to brands that previously dominated the southern African automotive markets," he told Xinhua during the May 3-4 motor show.

Many decided to buy Haval cars because "the price is totally different and below what you can usually expect... when you look at the interior of the car, the technology of the car, how it drives, and how it looks in general," he said. "That was the more compelling aspect of the product."

According to Othomile, excluding those that are purchased in bulk, about 23 units are sold in a month. The most popular unit is Haval Jolion, whose Chinese equivalent, Chulian, means "first love."

With an expanding dealer service network across the country, the Jolion is expected to build on the success of previous Haval products, such as the P series, Haval H1, H6, and H9, and now the Tank 300, he said.

Star Motor Group is another company in Botswana that sells Chinese automobile brands such as JAC and Chery.

Peter Kabelo, sales executive of the group, said that one of the important elements of Chery's success is its offer of warranty for its engines for 1 million kilometers' mileage or 10 years, including the transmission.

Compared to traditional foreign brands, Kabelo said, Chinese cars have also brought lots of high technologies and comfort to Botswana customers, like voice command, remote start, wireless charging, big screens and autopilot.

Isaac Pheko, a Botswana motorist journalist, said he is "a huge fan of Chinese-made cars because their build quality and durability have improved astronomically over the past 10 years."

The pricing point by Chinese manufacturers make the cars accessible as they are more affordable than German, Japanese and American-made cars, Pheko said. 

Isaac Pheko, a Botswana motorist journalist, sits in a Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max during the 9th edition of the Shell Gaborone Motor Show in Gaborone, the Botswanan capital, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

A Haval Jolion is pictured during the 9th edition of the Shell Gaborone Motor Show in Gaborone, the Botswanan capital, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)