Chinese automotive giant underlines commitment to SA, with the aim of establishing local manufacturing in the future.
Chery R&D is more than a thought for the Chinese brand. At a press conference held at Chery’s headquarters in Wuhu, Anhui province, China, Mark Ma Deputy General Manager of SA Chery Group, Guibing Zhang President of Chery International, and Tony Liu CEO Chery Group SA shared insights and trends specific to our market.
One point mentioned was confirmation for the establishment of a research and development centre in South Africa. The Chery Group has numerous R&D centres around the world, focusing on quality and adapting products to better suit the specific market conditions.
Currently, there are eight major R&D facilities in locations such as Shanghai, Singapore, Europe, North America, South America, and Central Asia. On top of that are over 300 laboratories and a total talent pool of 30 000 staff.
With such an investment, the next logical progression and assumption would be the discussion around the formation of local manufacturing, something we put to our hosts. While there was no definitive answer, Tony Liu, the local CEO confirmed that feasibility discussions and analysis were underway.
South Africa already plays host to a number of OEMs building cars on our shores with the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Isuzu, Ford and Nissan all churning out vehicles for both local consumption and export.
As a reminder, Chery Group comprises the brands Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo, iCar, Lepas to name but a few. Given the meteoric rise of the brand with impressive sales, backed up by a commendable 10-year/million km warranty, signs are strong that they’re here to stay. And that is exactly why a Chery R&D centre makes so much sense, for the brand’s South African ambitions and future operations
