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
Itumeleng “Tumi” Seage has been appointed General Manager at Hino South Africa reporting to Anton Falck, Vice President for Hino SA.
The appointment follows the retirement of Pieter Klerck. Itumeleng has been working in the motor industry for over 18 years and has extensive experience in all aspects of the business, with an in-depth knowledge of the dealer network.
He began his career at Hino SA in 2006 and has filled various positions at Hino in Marketing, After-sales, Demand Planning, Pricing, Dealer Sales and Network as a Manager and Senior Manager.

His most recent post, prior to his recent move back to Hino, was as Senior Regional Manager for the Central Region at Toyota SA Motors.
He has a BCom in Business Management and a BCom in Marketing Management.
Another appointment is Masafumi Kawabata of Hino Motors Japan as the new Senior Executive Co-Ordinator of Hino South Africa. He takes over from Yusonori Otani, who served in this position from February 2020 and is now returning to Japan.

He has been working for Hino since 2006, having started his career with North American businesses for 12 years, including being transferred to Hino Motors Sales USA for six years, where he was in the department responsible for Business Planning, Vehicle Sales, Demand & Supply, Pricing and Aftermarket Parts Sales.
His next career change was to take responsibility for the global product planning of Heavy Commercial Trucks in 2019 and in his most recent position he was based in Japan as Project Manager for Extra Heavy Commercial Trucks and Buses in markets outside Japan.
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.