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
Running a dealership is easy. You simply have to run your sales, service, parts, F&I, used vehicle, OEM compliance and HR systems well.
Creating a Dealer Management System (DMS) is just as easy. You simply have to integrate with all the dealer departments to deliver content in a way that users can work with it. And don’t forget to comply with all the OEM standards.
None of the above is true, of course.
Running any business in South Africa is a challenge, but few have the level of complexity of a dealership.
While the business itself is complex and fast moving, dealer principals find themselves between the manufacturer on the one side and clients on the other, which means that no day goes perfectly according to plan.
This truth is at the heart of the development of Pinewood’s Dealer Management System (DMS).
Managing a dealer is complex, so a DMS should not add to that complexity. If anything, it should streamline processes, take effort away and work with users finding an excellent balance adapting DMS processes to business requirements.
To make its DMS as simple and powerful as possible, Pinewood has a dedicated OEM integration team. This team of dealer specialists work with over 50 OEMs globally, from Toyota to Ford, Bentley and newcomers such as Chery. It even covers motorcycle brands such as Moto Guzzi and KTM and truck brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu and DAF.
The OEM team works with manufacturers to create the best workflows and ensure that it integrates seamlessly with the DMS. This is in stark contrast to management systems that simply integrates OEM systems through an API (Application Programming Interface).
The focus on workflow means that the Pinewood DMS simplifies and streamlines dealer processes, rather than simply bringing different workstreams together through an API with little or no thought to how it affects a staff member’s workflow or workload.
To learn more about Pinewood’s DMS and how it integrates with OEM’s systems, visit pinewoodsa.co.za/overview/manufacturer-integrations/
Read the second article in this series to learn about the wide range of time-saving manufacturer integrations here.
* This article was written by the Dealerfloor team in partnership with Pinewood DMS South Africa.
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.