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
There is an African proverb that says: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
This year’s winner in the Toyota category has managed to balance both sides of this equation through collective dedication and commitment to continuously be the best at what they do.
With Kefemetswe Ntshwabi at the helm of Halfway Toyota Chobe in Botswana, their story comes to life from a village that bustles with tourists and the famed Big 5, where a Toyota dealership started from humble beginnings.
“It is true that dynamite comes in small packages. This year’s Toyota Dealer of the Year recipient is one where Leopard, Buffalo and Warthog inspecting the new models in the Toyota showroom is not an uncommon sight. Congratulations Kefemetswe and thank you for your dedication to the Toyota brand,” says Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Toyota South Africa Motors, Leon Theron.
Victory on the Lexus side went to Christopher Jones of Lexus Fourways. The Lexus Dealer of the Year Award is awarded to the dealership that performs exceptionally in all aspects of the business.
The year 2022 has once again been a challenging one with tough trading conditions. This year’s winner, for the third consecutive year, not only managed to grow its new vehicle sales by 11% by focusing on available models and innovative marketing but also it managed to achieve a pre-owned to new vehicle sales ratio of more than 1.6 to 1.
From a customer services perspective, the delarship managed to grow its service business by 16%. All of this was supported by an overall improvement in its Customer Experience rating.
“A performance like this, for the third consecutive year, requires visionary leadership and a passionate, dedicated team, key attributes that are firmly entrenched in this dealer’s DNA. It is an absolute pleasure to reward this outstanding performance and give this team the recognition its so rightfully deserves,” says Leon.
When it comes to commercial vehicles, specifically the Hino truck brand, the honours went to Robert Pringle of Hino Isando.
As a first-time winner, this Hino dealership achieved between 106% and 109% of its sales, parts and service targets, although it wasn’t winners in any of the categories, it was always a top contender in each category.
“The Dealer Principal is a Hino ambassador and continuously motivates his team. He embraces Hino Total Support, and the team at the dealership is always willing to walk the extra mile to ensure total customer satisfaction,” concludes Leon.
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.
Netcare Diagnostics (a Netcare Group business) is introducing its first fully electric vehicles to its transport fleet, starting with shorter urban routes for collecting patient pathology specimens.
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.
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