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.
The word comes from Afrikaans and translates literally as "big man". In South African usage it expresses respect for someone who has earned their standing through experience, achievement and the way they take responsibility. It describes a person whose opinion carries weight at a family gathering or around a business table, and who can be relied on when a decision has to be made or a problem solved.
Chery says the meaning reflects the place a bakkie holds in many households. It may help an owner build a business, carry the family or mark a goal they have worked towards for years. The company associates the name with strength, capability and reliability, and says carrying a load, handling the working day and bringing the family along are part of the thinking behind the vehicle.
Jay Jay Botes, General Manager of Chery South Africa, said: "Chery brings its Chinese heritage and global engineering expertise to this bakkie, and we wanted South Africans to have a hand in shaping its identity here. Grootman is a word people use with respect, often for someone who has worked hard to get where they are and can be counted on. Having South Africans choose it makes the name particularly meaningful, and we recognise that it comes with expectations we will have to live up to."
Grootman has been developed on a dedicated hybrid platform. It combines a 2.5 litre turbodiesel engine with electric power and four-wheel drive. Preliminary specifications list combined outputs of 350kW and 800Nm, along with an electric only range of up to 100 km on the NEDC cycle.
The bakkie is rated to tow up to 3 500 kg braked. Its load box measures 1 560 mm long, 1 560 mm wide and 500 mm high, and ground clearance is no less than 230 mm when fully loaded. Vehicle to Load functionality allows it to power external equipment such as tools and camping appliances.
The announcement introduces a campaign called The Grootman Has Arrived, which draws on the idea that when the Grootman turns up, things get done. Chery says it will explore what the name means to South Africans through conversations about the people and qualities they associate with the word. Those personal accounts will be used to tell the story behind the name.
Final specifications, pricing and the local model line-up will be announced closer to launch.
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.
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