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
Hino South Africa continued to rank highly in the DATATrack comparative truck study rankings when the results for the third quarter of 2021 were released recently.
Hino scored 99.78% in the combined score as well as coming out on top in the three categories that make up this total, being Sales (99.96%), Technical Service (99.93%), and Parts Supply (99.45%).
This independent customer satisfaction survey of local truck owners and operators has been undertaken quarterly since 1989 and is a highly regarded benchmark of the standards of service provided by local truck manufacturers, distributors and dealers. (At present the performance of 13 truck brands are measured in the survey.)
Hino has topped the combined list, and its score of 99.78% is a record, with the company’s previous highest rating having been the 99.72% achieved in the second quarter of 2019.
“We are particularly proud of the support provided to our customers by the countrywide dealer network and the team at our head office in Sandton in this quarter, because the aftermath of the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July placed an inordinate load on our dealers in the affected areas,” commented Pieter Klerck, General Manager of Hino SA.
“Many Hino trucks were damaged during this period, resulting in heavy demands being made on our dealers to get customers’ trucks repaired and back on the road again. The parts were flown in to support our dealers’ service departments in their race to get the damaged trucks back on the road.
“What we did was to establish a dedicated team at head office to facilitate the parts supply from overseas and local suppliers as soon as we realised the extent of the damage. This proved a wise decision, which was much appreciated by our dealers and their customers.
“Importantly, our quick response was a further good example of the Hino Total Support strategy in action. This programme has been in use for several years now and involves building and maintaining strong bonds between Hino Japan, Hino South Africa, our dealers, service providers and customers,” concluded the Hino SA General Manager.
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.