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
It might not be Formula One, but a round of the electric Formula E World Championship is scheduled to take place in South Africa and will be held in Cape Town on 26 February next year.
The announcement was made this week by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in Geneva following a scheduled meeting to approve the Season 8 calendar by Formula E Operations. As the founding partner to e-Movement, Jaguar South Africa supported the bid to host the first Formula E event in Cape Town.
Richard Gouverneur, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover South Africa, said: “This is a historic first for our country, and Jaguar South Africa is ecstatic to have been part of the team to secure Formula E for South Africa.
Iain Banner, Chairman of e-Movement (Pty) Ltd (the promoters of the Cape Town leg of the World Championship), said: “We are delighted and honoured to be included on the calendar after two years of bidding to make this dream a reality.”
The Cape Town round will be the first FIA World Championship single-seater race in South Africa since the 1993 South African Grand Prix.
Jaguar Racing Team Director, James Barclay, said: “On a personal level, having grown up in South Africa, I’m incredibly excited to be racing in my home country with the team. For Jaguar, the announcement is most welcome as South Africa is an important market.”
Cape Town Mayor, Dan Plato, said: “Cape Town is pleased to be chosen as one of the cities to participate in the Formula E tournament. The event will unlock major investment, job creation and tourism potential through identifying Cape Town as the racing destination on the African continent.”
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.