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
Carl Martins has been appointed as Executive Manager for Mining Services at Bridgestone Southern Africa. He has fulfilled various roles in a 13-year career at the company, most recently as Commercial Sales Operations Manager.
“Carl has earned his spurs at Bridgestone and now takes on the challenge of expanding Bridgestone’s positioning as a mobility solutions provider to the mining industry, not just a tyre vendor,” says Jacques Fourie, Bridgestone Southern Africa CEO.

Carl says his priority is to ensure that Bridgestone delivers value to its customers in the mining sector, as well as the surrounding communities. “Mining is a foundational industry in many African economies, including South Africa, and we are determined to play our role in helping the industry overcome its challenges, build sustainability and grow in profitability,” he says.
“Safety, sustainability and increased productivity are important drivers in today’s mining sector, and Bridgestone is determined to play a growing role in helping mines to meet these challenges through thoroughly understanding what they need and then bringing the fruits of our massive research and development (R&D) programme to bear,” he says.
A specific issue he intends addressing in time is the recycling of the heavy tyres widely in use across the mining industry.
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.