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
Erad de Lange is a man of few words. As Dealer Principal and owner of Caledon Toyota since 2007, he is a busy man, though. The dealership is buzzing – all day, every day.
As a rich farming district, Caledon is Toyota country and it shows in the scale of the dealership, which sells a car just about every working day.
“When you walk into Caledon Toyota, you can expect to be greeted by a team of highly trained, motivated individuals all working towards the common goals of the company and dedicated to providing you with personal service excellence and efficiency,” De Lange says.
From the company’s premises at 30 Prince Alfred Rd in Caledon, the capital of the Overberg (located 110 km east of Cape Town and 70 km from Somerset West on the N2), the dealership serves the whole area – the towns of Caledon, Villiersdorp, Riviersonderend, Kleinmond and Greyton – with a staff of 38, including the panel shop.
Caledon Toyota offers the full range of new Toyota vehicles – passenger cars, SUVs and, of course, South Africa’s top-selling vehicle, the Hilux in all its shapes and forms – in its showroom as well as the Automark Certified pre-owned floor. More than just supplying trusted, reliable vehicles to tackle any situation, Caledon Toyota offers its customers unparalleled safety and performance by using genuine Toyota parts to ensure that ”once you put yourself in a Toyota, you know that you are home”.
Every month the workshop services about 350 vehicles.
To serve such a large and diverse customer base, all members of staff are encouraged to be creative and give innovative input, including intelligent risk taking. In doing so, Caledon Toyota recognises mistakes may occur, but service will be better as a result.
“The customer is the ultimate judge of our products and services, not management.”
Caledon Toyota is no stranger to achieving top results, having won a number of prizes over the years, including in 2019 for the highest level of proficiency for both new vehicle sales and Automark. The prize was a wonderful trip to Mauritius.
The dealership’s success, De Lange believes, is because, “We pride ourselves on our ability to make and meet commitments and pay attention to detail.”
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.
Advertisement
Advertisement
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
You just must drive the new Mazda CX-5 to understand why this could be a game changer for the iconic legacy brand that was once one of the top-selling brands in South Africa.
The opening of GWM Hyde Park marks a return to familiar territory for dealership owner Bradley Scorer, whose career in the South African motor industry began in the same area decades ago.
Mitsubishi Motors Bedfordview has been awarded the prestigious Overall Dealer of the Year title in the brand’s annual dealer evaluation and awards program, recognising its outstanding performance and commitment to excellence across all areas of the business.