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
Daring Africa 2024, an expedition of five Nissan Navara pick-ups and an X-Trail SUV, arrived in the capital of Mozambique on the second leg of the Japanese carmaker’s odyssey up Africa.
“This is a celebration of the vehicles we build in Africa, especially the Navara, and the hands that build them,” explains Nissan Managing Director for South Africa and Independent Markets Africa, Maciej Klenkiewicz. “This journey links our African pick-up manufacturing hub in South Africa with our Passenger Vehicle assembly plant in Cairo, while allowing us to showcase the incredible partner network we have along the route.”
Welcoming the convoy to the Maputo showroom, Nissan Mozambique Managing Director, Ivan Busi, said he was very excited about the initiative. “Nissan is a brand that believes in Africa and is a popular choice for motorists in Mozambique. The Navara is a particularly important model for us given its versatility, ruggedness and levels of comfort.
“It is a great privilege to welcome the convoy to our country and have the opportunity to show off the capabilities of the Navara at some of Mozambique’s most picturesque sites, as well as testing it on some of our toughest terrains.”
Tomorrow (Friday 12th), selected media and key Nissan Mozambique fleet clients are going to drive the Navara up the coast to Chidenguele and Inhassoro for an immersive experience of the vehicle’s capability, before spending time with local executives at a fireside chat to discuss the brand and Africa.
“Daring Africa is also a great showcase of Nissan Mozambique,” says Ivani, “not only do we sell the full range of Nissan vehicles, including the Navara, we also support every purchase through our extensive network of branches in dealerships in Maputo, Nampula, Beira, Moatize and Pemba, each one of which has recently undergone refurbishments to ensure they meet the global standards we expect from them.”
Daring Africa left Rosslyn, Nissan Africa’s home of the Navara on an eight-country odyssey that will ultimately end in Cairo. From Mozambique, the expedition will head to Zimbabwe, then Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya before transitioning to Egypt.
Last year, Nissan Africa opened new markets for the Navara in Algeria and Libya, with the vehicle scheduled to be introduced to Egypt later this year.
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.