Chery names its first bakkie Grootman
Chery has named its first bakkie for South Africa Grootman, a name chosen by South Africans. The model is planned to make its local debut in the first quarter of 2027.
- Product News
- 2 October 2026
Toyota continues unabated to be the king of sales in South Africa.
With 10 812 units retailed in July, Toyota was once again South Africa’s best-selling brand powered by a strong demand across its line-up.
As the only manufacturer to breach 10 000 units a month (and accomplish this six months out of seven for 2023), Toyota’s market share for July was a commanding 24.9%.
Hilux realised 2 982 sales in July, contributing to its dominance in the LCV space – YTD racking up cumulative sales numbers close to 22 000 units for a 25.2% segment market share. An improved inventory flow for this model also helped Toyota’s exports for the month, with Hilux accounting for 7 273 of the 7 437 units shipped out in July. Other LCV highlights include the HiAce, which ticked over with sales of 1 347 units, and the Land Cruiser 79 pickup, a consistent performer with a solid 312 registrations.
Mirroring its LCV performance, Toyota also leads in passenger car sales with three of its models featuring in the top ten. It was another podium finish for Corolla Cross with 1 801 units retailed, followed by the Starlet on 1 187 units, while Fortuner snuck into ninth place with 730 sales registered. Year-to-date, Corolla Cross is SA’s most popular passenger vehicle with nearly 12 500 units finding new owners – this single model reflecting a 6.1% share of the total passenger market.
Other notables for Toyota in the passenger arena include Quest (455) and Land Cruiser 300 – the latter garnering 214 sales, a remarkable achievement considering most of the sales come from the ZX and GR-S models, which retail for more than R2 million.
On the Lexus front, NX is the sales frontrunner with 28 units retailed, while the rarefied LX attained a laudable 13 sales.
Worth mentioning are the bespoke GR models, which are beginning to make a blip on the niche sports radar: the freshly launched GR Corolla notched up seven sales, followed by the GR Supra on six units, with the GR 86 and Yaris registering four and three units respectively.
Parts supply for the month came in at close to 1.4 million items distributed locally and a further 246 000 items exported to foreign markets.
Chery has named its first bakkie for South Africa Grootman, a name chosen by South Africans. The model is planned to make its local debut in the first quarter of 2027.
South Africa’s new vehicle market recorded aggregate domestic sales of 61 645 units in September 2026, an increase of 12.7% compared with the 54 706 units sold during September 2025.
SA Auto Week 2026 is scheduled to take place in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, from 13 to 16 October, with the event marking five years of SA Auto Week.
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Cars are the ultimate symbol of freedom, independence and individualism. They offer the freedom to ‘go anywhere,’ whenever it suits and with whom one chooses.
Sarah Redshaw
South Africa’s new vehicle market recorded aggregate domestic sales of 61 645 units in September 2026, an increase of 12.7% compared with the 54 706 units sold during September 2025.
SA Auto Week 2026 is scheduled to take place in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, from 13 to 16 October, with the event marking five years of SA Auto Week.
South Africa’s domestic new-vehicle market strengthened in September, recording 61 645 sales, its highest monthly total of 2026. Sales increased by 3 747 vehicles, or 6.5%, from August’s originally reported total and were 12.7% higher than in September 2025.