Chery South Africa is making a massive leap forward. Just four years after re-entering the Mzansi automotive market, the brand has shot up to become a consistent top-10 player, shifting an average of around 25 000 units a year and rolling out a rapidly expanding network of over 150 dealerships right across Mzansi. Now, in a game-changing move that signals real belief in the country, Chery has officially confirmed it’s investing in its own local manufacturing Plant.
Remember a few weeks ago Nissan South Africa announced that Chery would be taking over its Rosslyn, Tshwane Plant that has been running for about 60 years, producing cars like the 1400 bakkie, NP300, NP200, Navara and others. At the time Chery representatives declined to comment on Nissan’s announcement, fuelling industry speculation. Well Chery has finally “spoken”, using the 6th annual South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC 2026) at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. “This investment is a vote of confidence in South Africa and a direct result of the unwavering support from our customers and dealer network over the past four years,” said Charlie Zhang, Vice President of Chery Auto and Executive Vice President of Chery International.
This is definitely no small step. Chery, which has been successfully importing its range of Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo, recently Lepas and soon iCaur models, is now flipping the script from importer to full-on local manufacturer and serious investor in the Mzansi economy. The Nissan site they’ve locked down sits in Rosslyn, which is an iconic and prime automotive territory. The facility will be re-commissioned and retrofitted over the next 12 to 18 months. First locally-built Chery vehicles are slated to start rolling off the line by mid-2027.
Chery is apparently putting real money into upgrading the facilities so the Plant can hit full production capacity as fast as possible. And they’re doing it the right way: keeping most of the current employees on board to make sure the transition is smooth and the know-how stays in Mzansi. That alone is a win for the workforce.
“Chery’s investment in South Africa is not only an important step in the company’s globalisation development, but also our long-term commitment to the economic and industrial development of South Africa,” Zhang explained. “The project will directly and indirectly create nearly 3 000 jobs, covering multiple sectors including manufacturing, supply chain, and services. We will also focus on developing a local supplier network that is better equipped to support the local parts industry. We believe this will make the overall automotive industry more competitive.”
For now we have no information as to exactly what products (cars) Chery will be building here. However, from our industry experience and understanding, it would make sense to manufacture a bakkie and/or a small SUV at the very least. With Chery heavily investing in New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), a Hybrid powertrain would also be expected.
