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
By Harm Stavast - Commercial Director - Keyloop Africa
South Africa's automotive landscape is undergoing a significant shift, with dealerships needing to adapt to changing consumer preferences to ensure loyalty, and aftersales play a crucial role in this.
Although the car buying process is often front of mind when we think of a retailer’s business operations, aftersales are the lifeblood of many dealerships, and they are where smart retailers are focusing their efforts.
To create an optimal aftersales experience, retailers must lean into the power of technology to transform their customer relationships and deliver a seamless journey for them. Research from McKinsey reveals that, in a world where experience drives loyalty as much as price, the majority (53%) of customers consider a better service experience to be more influential than the purchase experience in the entire customer journey. So, today’s retailers need to operate more than just dealerships; they need to be running experience centres.

Technology platforms are key to connecting data and streamlining operations to create a frictionless experience. Keyloop's platform enables retailers to deliver a great end-to-end service, boost efficiency with accurate work tracking, drive upselling with personalised communication, and use powerful data to drive customer loyalty.
For retailers looking to stand out from the competition, not only does this improve the overall effectiveness of their businesses, but it also enables them to foster better relationships and build longer-term consumer loyalty, in turn improving sales opportunities and boosting margins.
Find out how Experience-First is transforming the automotive retail industry and how you can apply these lessons to your business. https://keyloop.com/

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.
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.