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
The winners of the 2023/24 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, sponsored by Absa (#CarsAwards), and the recipient of the prestigious Brand of the Year title, were announced at a black-tie gala event in Sandton.
The fourteen 2023/24 #CarsAwards trophy recipients:
BMW and Suzuki took the most category wins (3 apiece) in the 2023/24 #CarsAwards. BMW has the second most category wins in #CarsAwards history (12), followed by Toyota (11) and Suzuki (10), but Volkswagen (20) comfortably leads the #CarsAwards category trophies tally.
By winning the Brand of the Year consecutively, Toyota now leads the total #CarsAwards Brand of the Year wins tally with four trophies, followed by Suzuki (2) and Volkswagen (1).
Cars.co.za Managing Director Amasi Mwela announced the return of the #CarsAwards programme last year, which was paused in 2021. As before, vehicles will be judged against their peers in distinct categories, of which each has its own requirements. What’s more, 50% of the final scores will be based on brand-specific data incorporating direct feedback from South African car owners.
“The #CarsAwards underlines our commitment to helping our users understand the best way to spend their hard-earned rands when purchasing new vehicles,” Amasi says. “As new-car prices escalate, it emphasises the need to make educated and informed buying decisions. The Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, sponsored by Absa and galvanised by the endorsement from naamsa, allows Cars.co.za to take a leadership position in our industry.
“Partnering with the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards strongly resonates with our objective of endorsing innovative initiatives that bridge the gap between consumers, trusted dealers and manufacturers,” says Charl Potgieter, Managing Executive of Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance.
“This highly respected awards programme is not just about celebrating the automotive industry’s finest, it’s about strengthening the dynamic space in which the industry operates,” he adds.
“We continue to work very closely with all our partners to take the South African automotive industry to greater heights,” says naamsa Chief Executive Officer Mikel Mabasa.
“Business leaders and organisations involved in the motor industry can play a progressive role in turning the negative sentiment in the automotive market into positivity. (Naamsa believes that) the #CarsAwards represents a number of things that should be going right in the country.
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.
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.
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Cars are the ultimate symbol of freedom, independence and individualism. They offer the freedom to ‘go anywhere,’ whenever it suits and with whom one chooses.
Sarah Redshaw
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.