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
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.
The event will bring together government, vehicle manufacturers, component manufacturers, retailers, financiers, organised labour, investors and other industry stakeholders.
The programme will focus on issues including competitiveness, localisation, transformation, investment, the energy transition, global trade and the resilience of South Africa’s automotive value chain.
KwaZulu-Natal is the 2026 partner province, with the event supported by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government and eThekwini Municipality. The programme will also incorporate the KwaZulu-Natal Investment Conference, linking the province’s investment agenda with automotive industrial policy.
The 2026 edition comes against a backdrop of changing global trade dynamics, the transition towards New Energy Vehicles, competition for automotive investment and changing consumer conditions.
The programme includes a number of events and platforms across the automotive industry.
The NEV Road Trip will run from 9 to 11 October and showcase new energy vehicle technologies and the transition towards cleaner mobility.
Transformation Day, powered by the naamsa Dreams Academy, will take place on 13 October and focus on transformation, skills and enterprise development.
The African Automotive Indaba will run from 14 to 15 October, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, investors and stakeholders.
The naamsa Pavilion and Expo will showcase businesses, products, services and capabilities from across the automotive value chain.
The KwaZulu-Natal Investment Conference will focus on the province’s investment opportunities linked to automotive manufacturing, logistics, energy and infrastructure.
The Captains of Industry Dinner, powered by Absa, will bring together senior industry leaders, policymakers and strategic stakeholders.
The naamsa Accelerator Awards, powered by WesBank, will recognise organisations and individuals contributing to innovation, transformation and growth across the automotive industry.
Automotive Plant Tours will take place on 16 October, giving delegates an opportunity to view South Africa’s automotive manufacturing capabilities.
SA Auto Week 2026 is supported by Anchor and Headline Partners, partners and stakeholders including Absa, the Automotive Industry Development Centre-Gauteng Province (AIDC-GP), the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ), Eastern Cape Province, WesBank, Rand Mutual and the Automotive Industry Transformation Fund (AITF). Cars.co.za returns as the official media partner.
Who is doing what?
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.
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.
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.
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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
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.
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.
A dispute over the payload ratings of Jetour’s T1 and T2 SUVs has developed further following weighbridge testing in Gauteng, with the Automobile Association (AA) questioning some of the results and Jetour South Africa maintaining that its revised figures have been independently verified.