South Africa’s largest trade union in the retail motor industry, the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA), has welcomed the investment by Chinese vehicle manufacturer Chery in South Africa’s vehicle manufacturing sector.
Chery International’s acquisition of Nissan’s Rosslyn production facility in Tshwane was approved by the Competition Commission and has been described as a transaction that could provide a significant boost to local vehicle production and investment.
MISA has urged the government to ensure that growing Chinese and Indian investment in the automotive industry translates into local manufacturing, protected component manufacturing jobs, and decent work for South Africans.
MISA spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said they “view the takeover, which retained about 900 employees, as a blueprint for how a potential restructuring process that could lead to retrenchments can be avoided and turned into a win-win situation for all involved.”
Chery has reportedly projected that it will create around 3,000 new jobs once local production reaches full capacity.
“MISA welcomes the arrival of Chinese and Indian automakers, whose affordable vehicles have been driving record sales in the retail motor industry since September 2025, expanding vehicle ownership and contributing to economic growth,” said Hlubi-Majola.
According to MISA, Nissan stopped investing in 2023 after discontinuing the NP200 half-ton bakkie, which had been produced for 16 years at its Rosslyn plant. The decision triggered a major restructuring of the facility.
The government has also been urged to actively encourage the new entrants to manufacture vehicles and components locally, rather than simply assembling imported kits.
MISA has committed to continuing its engagement with the government to ensure the revised Master Plan protects the retail motor industry and the workers who sustain it.
Meanwhile, delivering a keynote address at the Chery International factory acquisition event in Rosslyn, Deputy President Paul Mashatile said the investment demonstrates that South Africa’s automotive sector is undergoing a noticeable shift in its trade and market structure.
“Import penetration has increased, and Chinese brands have expanded rapidly in recent years, increasing their share of the domestic market.
“Today, as Chery joins this proud lineage by establishing its first vehicle assembly plant in South Africa, we recognise that this milestone is not only about vehicles on our roads but also about the livelihoods, knowledge and renewal that fuel our nation’s developmental journey,” said Mashatile.
According to Chery, the first locally assembled vehicles at the Rosslyn plant will roll off the production line in mid-2027.
