Although not officially confirmed, it is believed that the KP31 bakkie will be built locally.
As a historic chapter closes with Nissan South Africa having ended local manufacturing in May, another begins following Chery Auto’s acquisition of the Japanese carmaker’s assembly plant in Rosslyn, Gauteng.
Friday, July 3, marked a historic moment as the Chinese automaker formally inaugurated its local manufacturing operation, with a view to commencing local production from mid-2027 following a refurbishment of the plant.
In attendance were Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, Tshwane Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya, Chery Auto Chairman Yin Tongyue, Vice President Charlie Zhang and Chery's South African CEO Tony Liu.
Although the company did not use the occasion to reveal which products it plans to produce locally, there are strong indications of which models are set to cross the Rosslyn assembly plant in 2027. Chery brands Omoda & Jaecoo announced separately on Friday that the Jaecoo J5 will be among the models to be assembled locally. It is also strongly rumoured that the closely related Lepas L4 and Chery Tiggo Cross will be built alongside it.
