This follows Chery’s rapid rise in South Africa’s new vehicle sales charts. Chery SA will purchase the land, buildings and associated assets of the Nissan facilities, including of its nearby stamping plant, in mid-2026.
South Africa’s automotive landscape is changing, as we have previously covered here. This is actually a good thing because the new players have shown that they are more willing to introduce plug-ins into the South African market, as we have also covered here. We got more insights into this yesterday when we covered the news that these new players (mostly new Chinese brands) such as Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo, and of course Haval, played a key role in increasing PHEV sales in South Africa in 2025 by a whopping 280% year on year. Chinese vehicles in general are gaining traction in South Africa’s overall new vehicles sales market with Chery Group, when we include sales from Jetour, Jaecoo, and Omoda, as well as Chery itself, now propelling the Group’s sales to South Africa’s top 5 in the new vehicle sales charts.
In South Africa’s new vehicle sales market, Toyota led the way as usual in 2025 with 148,122 units, followed by Suzuki with 71,560 units. VW was third with 63,667 units, followed by the Chery Group with 43,300 units. Chinese automakers are also gaining market share on! the used vehicle market as trust in after-sales and spare parts availability improves.
Traditionally, European, American, Japanese, and Korean vehicle brands have dominated the South African new vehicle and used vehicle market. Going back perhaps a decade or so, there was a time when the idea of owning a Chinese vehicle in South Africa was perhaps underlined by humor. Why would you buy what was perceived to be an inferior vehicle to save a bit of money when there were so many great alternatives from Europe, Korea, and Japan? The reality today is far removed from that perception, and this is starting to show in South Africa’s new vehicle sales market, as shown by the Chery Group’s remarkable rise. In an interesting development, we just got the biggest news update of this shift to date!
Nissan and Chery SA have just announced that they have reached agreement on the acquisition of Nissan’s manufacturing assets in Rosslyn, South Africa.
Subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions, including regulatory approvals, Chery SA will purchase the land, buildings, and associated assets of the Nissan facilities, including its nearby stamping plant, in mid-2026. The agreement will see the majority of associated Nissan employees offered employment by Chery SA on substantially similar terms and conditions as today.
Jordi Vila, Nissan Africa President, said: “Nissan has a long and proud history in South Africa and has been working to find the best solution for our people, our customers and our partners. External factors have had a well-known impact on the utilisation of the Rosslyn plant and its future viability within Nissan. Through this agreement we’re able to secure employment for the majority of our workforce thereby also preserving opportunities for our supplier network. This move also ensures that the Rosslyn site will continue contributing to the South African automotive sector.”
Nissan adds that following the acquisition of the plant by Chery SA, Nissan will continue to offer vehicles and services to customers in South Africa as before, with several new vehicle launches planned for fiscal year 2026, including the Nissan Tekton and Nissan Patrol.
A lot of South Africans observing the increasing numbers of new Chinese vehicles on South African roads have been asking when some of these vehicles will start to be assembled or fully manufactured locally. Well, Chery has taken the first step, buoyed by increasing sales and demand for its vehicles. Chery is also stepping at the right time. While Nissan was not really offering any BEVs or PHEVs in the South African market, Chery is now well placed to take advantage of South Africa’s new incentives for local assembly and manufacture of new energy vehicles.
Starting from the first of March, 2026, automakers in South Africa will be allowed to reclaim tax amounting to 150% of investments they make into facilities and machinery for new energy vehicle manufacturing. This includes HEVs, PHEVs, and BEVs.
