The Car Guide

Ranging from compact crossovers to SUVs and bakkies, we’ve rounded up all the Chinese cars that’s still to make their way to South Africa in 2026. BYD Image: BYD Including the expansion of this Chinese manufacturer’s local dealership footprint and the introduction of its luxury sub-brand, Denza, BYD is set to broaden the appeal of its SA product portfolio with the Atto 2 (pictured here), while strengthening its current Sealion model offering – which includes the Sealion 5 and Sealion 6 , and the Sealion 7 – with the Sealion 8 plug-in hybrid (PHEV). BYD Atto 2 BYD Sealion 8 Chery Image: Chery Chery will enter the local bakkie segment with the Himla, which we sampled for a first drive in China. However, the Wuhu automaker has confirmed to CAR that it is pushing hard to launch the KP31 , scheduled to arrive here in early 2027, before the end of 2026. The Tiggo V “transformable” SUV/bakkie (pictured here) will also arrive here this year. There is ...

We travelled to Rome to attend the global reveal of the Ferrari Luce, the Maranello brand’s highly anticipated first all-electric vehicle. Destined to be divisive, here’s how Ferrari explained the car’s exterior styling. Image: Ferrari Overseen by Ferrari Design Studio, led by Flavio Manzoni, both the interior and exterior of the Luce were finalised in conjunction with LoveFrom, the powerhouse design studio owned by ex-Apple man Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Including a mandate to be the Maranello-based marque’s first four-door, five-seater product, Newson confirmed that the decision to make the Luce all-electric was made after the project began. “The Ferrari Luce has acquired such a specific identity precisely because the designers were given the freedom to conceive a disruptive yet coherent form. In tackling the development of the car, LoveFrom was, in fact, granted the philosophical and design autonomy needed to present a complete, global proposal, whose research would extend int...

Citroën has confirmed the ‘2CV’ nameplate will make its return; this time adorning an ‘affordable’ new EV. Here’s what we know… Image: Citroën Instagram Built from necessity after WW2, the Citroën 2CV served as its maker’s “car for the people”, and became a staple of French culture. Now, in an age of increasingly expensive personal transport, the French marque aims to revive the nameplate that brought affordable transport to the masses…with a modernised, all-electric 2CV, or “2EV”, if you will. Though there were rumours floating around about this moniker’s return, Xavier Chardon, Citroën’s CEO, confirmed its return during Stellantis’ investor presentation in Michigan. The EV 2CV will make its official global debut at the 2026 Paris Motor Show, which takes place from 12 to 18 October, and is scheduled to go on sale in 2028. We can see from the brief announcement reel posted on Citroën’s social media accounts the unmistakabl...

GAC has confirmed to CAR magazine that the Yue 7 SUV will launch in South Africa in 2026. Here’s what we know so far… Image: GAC Following the global debut of the Yue 7 at Auto China 2026 in Beijing, the local arm of GAC has announced that it will launch the Yue 7 in South Africa later this year. The Yue 7, which is sold in its home market under the firm’s Trumpchi sub-brand, measures 4 999 mm in length, 2 004 mm in width, and 1 933 mm in height – dimensions comparable to the current-generation Land Rover Defender 110 and Toyota Land Cruiser 300. The GAC’s wheelbase spans 2 900 mm. The large SUV offers approach and departure angles of 30 and 33 degrees, respectively. Also read:   Toyota Prado-rivalling Denza B5 confirmed for SA – Here’s when it’s coming Underpinned by the Chinese automaker’s GMC Thunder 3.0 platform, the Yue 7 is available with the choice of two- or four-wheel drivetrains in overseas markets, and employs a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain ...

Sporting an all-electric powertrain producing up to 860 kW, Mercedes-AMG has unveiled the new GT 4-Door Coupé.  Image: Mercedes-Benz In June 2025, Mercedes-AMG whipped the wraps off the Concept AMG GT XX , a design study with which the German marque previewed a future high-performance four-door model…likely the next AMG GT 4-Door Coupé. Essentially the series-production version of the “pioneering” concept, the Affalterbach automaker has officially unveiled the new AMG GT 4-Door Coupé. The AMG GT 4-Door Coupé was revealed in two guises: GT 55 and GT 63. Both models are equipped with three of the firm’s so-called axial flux motors, which produce combined system outputs of 600 kW/1 800 N.m in the GT 55 and 860 kW/2 000 N.m in the GT 63. Power is delivered to the road via an all-wheel drivetrain. In AMGFORCE S+ driver’s setting, the powertrain produces an augmented V8 soundtrack and features simulated gear shifts. Mercedes-AMG says these figures allow the GT 55 to complete the 0-100 km...

Toyota SA has revealed pricing for the bZ4X, the Japanese automaker’s first all-electric model in SA. See pricing and specs below… Image: Toyota Following revealing local pricing for the highly-anticipated new Land Cruiser FJ , which we’ve sampled for an exclusive first SA drive, and sixth-generation RAV4 – the former and latter scheduled to launch in SA soon – Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has confirmed pricing for the bZ4X all-electric crossover/SUV. The first Toyota-badged battery-electric vehicle (BEV) offered in SA, the bZ4X is exclusively available with a dual electric-motor powertrain – producing combined power and torque outputs of 255 kW and 439 N.m – in our market. According to the Japanese automaker, these figures allow the 2 110 kg (claimed) all-wheel-drive BEV to complete the 0-100 km/h sprint in 5.1 seconds. The top speed is rated at 160 km/h. The bZ4X’s e-motors are fed by a 73.1 kWh battery pack, which serves up a claimed 480 km operatin...