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
Isuzu Motors South Africa handed over three new Isuzu D-MAX bakkies to the humanitarian aid organisation, Gift of the Givers, renewing its commitment to strengthen efforts to bring critical disaster relief to affected areas, often in hard-to-reach and remote locations across South Africa.
The handover is a continuation of a partnership started in 2019 where three Isuzu D-MAX bakkies and three Isuzu trucks were presented to the organisation. The partnership has since seen these vehicles help Gift of the Givers with much needed logistical support in carrying out its humanitarian work and disaster relief efforts across the country, often navigating difficult terrain to reach communities facing adversity.
In 2019, Isuzu handed over three water tankers, which are still used today (two of 7 500 litres and one of 5 000 litres) in an effort to provide water to drought-stricken areas such as Makhanda, Graaff-Reinet, Somerset East, Alice and Fort Beaufort, transporting an average of 250 000 litres of water a month.
“At Isuzu Motors South Africa, we care about the communities in which we operate. As a responsible corporate citizen, we at Isuzu are committed to taking action and boldly doing more to make a positive impact in uplifting vulnerable communities.
“Our collaboration with Gift of the Givers reflects the core team values of our organisation, and we have significantly expanded our ability to rapidly respond to our communities when they need it most. We pride ourselves in being a company that builds reliable vehicles that bring hope to our communities,” says Isuzu Motors South Africa, Senior Vice President: Human Capital and Corporate Affairs, Mongezi Hermans.
The partnership has provided Gift of the Givers with fundamental support needed to further extend its disaster relief efforts to provinces that have suffered from devastating floods and drought, including the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.
“As we receive these three ISUZU D-MAX bakkies today, we are extremely motivated to do more. These vehicles are lifelines that serve as a critical logistic tool, especially with mobilising our teams to reach communities situated in challenging terrain.
Transport forms a big part of what we do as we are often the first point of contact to provide disaster relief to those in need, making our partnership with Isuzu invaluable,” says Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, Founder: Gift of the Givers.
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.