Stories of Chery’s success in its first year as an official OEM brand in South Africa has been purely anecdotal, until now.
The Chinese brand with its head office in Bryanston, Gauteng, announced in August that it is officially a Top 10 brand in South Africa with sales of 1 262 vehicles in July. This milestone comes a mere eight months after the brand launched its first model, the Tiggo 4 Pro.
The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro joined the line-up in late February 2022, and the newest addition, the Tiggo 7 Pro, only landed on showroom floors in May of this year.
In July, the first month that Chery reported their sales to the industry body naamsa, the Tiggo 4 Pro range represented 689 units of the total 1 262 units sold. Chery says the Tiggo 4 Pro ranks in the top five best-selling SUVs in its segment. In total volume, it is followed by the Tiggo 7 Pro (372 units) and the flagship Tiggo 8 Pro (201 units). Both these luxury SUVs now rank first in their respective segments, based on sales, says Chery.
“Chery’s sales performance is a tribute to our dealer network, which has been our greatest ambassador and which has been exemplary in its treatment of our Chery customers,” says Jay Jay Botes, National Sales Manager of Chery South Africa.
According to him, all of Chery’s sales were made through the dealer network and not as bulk sales to fleet or rental companies. This means that the total sales figure is a perfect representation of Chery’s acceptance by South African motorists.
“We realise that South Africans are under significant economic pressure and that they need the best possible value for money when buying a vehicle. That is why we have put so much effort into creating our 1-million-kilometre mechanical warranty and our best-in-class list of luxury and safety specifications in every Tiggo Pro,” says Jay Jay.
Jay Jay explains that Chery has extended its support of South African customers to also include previous Chery owners.
Chery South Africa launched a special Legacy Customer Campaign in April this year. It has since actively invited customers who purchased a vehicle from an importer before Chery entered the market to join the Chery family and have their vehicles safely and comprehensively serviced at their local Chery dealer.
“We look forward to welcoming more people to the Chery brand as our network of dealers grows further and as we introduce more models to the Chery range,” says Jay Jay.
Chery currently has 60 dealers and will soon announce new dealers and news of its expansion to neighbouring countries in Africa.
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The ratio of used to new vehicles financed increased in the second quarter of this year, indicating a growing consumer preference for used vehicles, according to TransUnion South Africa.
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