The Toyota Starlet goes from zero to hero
- Industry News
- 3 September 2026
Dealer industry news from around Southern Africa
The Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) has named Henk Ferreira as its new Chief Operations Officer (COO), adding a seasoned automotive and financial services executive to its leadership team.
Chery International’s move to establish a vehicle assembly presence in Rosslyn has been welcomed as a significant boost for South Africa’s automotive sector, with Deputy President Paul Mashatile saying the investment should translate into jobs, skills development and wider participation by local businesses.
Nissan South Africa has donated five vehicles from its former automotive assembly plant to Freek de Kock, the owner and founder of the biggest private collection of Nissan and Datsun vehicles in the world.
The changing fortunes of South Africa's automotive industry were underlined when Chinese manufacturer Chery officially took over the former Nissan manufacturing plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria, marking one of the most significant shifts in the country's vehicle manufacturing sector in recent years.
The automotive sector is no longer debating whether artificial intelligence and digital tools matter. It is now confronting a harder question: how to turn technology investment into durable business value.
Chinese vehicle manufacturers are no longer simply disrupting South Africa's automotive market. They are becoming an established part of the industry, expanding their market share, strengthening consumer confidence and beginning to reshape manufacturing, financing and competition.
BMW has become one of the first major European vehicle manufacturers to reveal the financial impact of slowing demand in China and growing geopolitical uncertainty, after issuing a profit warning that sent its shares tumbling by around seven percent to their lowest level since late 2020
South Africa's new vehicle market maintained its positive momentum in June, despite a challenging domestic economic environment marked by high inflation, elevated interest rates and weaker consumer confidence.
Juan Wheeler has been appointed Managing Director of Nissan South Africa in addition to his current role as Chief Financial Officer of Nissan Africa.
South Africa's new vehicle market continues to outperform expectations, with June recording the strongest sales performance for the month since 2007 and keeping the industry firmly on track to surpass 600 000 new vehicle sales in 2026.
Daimler Truck Southern Africa (DTSA) announced important leadership appointments effective 1 July 2026, marking a significant step in strengthening the organisation’s executive team.
The City of Johannesburg is advancing plans to bring the Alexandra Automotive Hub into operation, marking a significant milestone in its drive to strengthen township economies and foster local enterprise.
The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) has urged government to ensure that growing investment by Chinese and Indian vehicle manufacturers in South Africa delivers lasting benefits for local workers, rather than simply expanding the supply of imported vehicles.
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You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
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