Nissan announced Friday that it has reached an agreement with Chery for Chery to acquire its production assets in Rosslyn, Pretoria (South Africa). Chery South Africa will acquire the land, buildings, and related assets of the Nissan plant, including its nearby stamping facility, by mid-year.

“Nissan has a long and proud history in South Africa and has been working to find the best solution for our people, our customers, and our partners,” said Jordi Vila, president of Nissan Africa. “External factors have had a well-known impact on the utilisation of the Rosslyn plant and its future viability within Nissan,” Vila added.

Over recent years, Nissan’s South African plant has maintained annual production below 25,000 units, well below its 2012 peak of 54,000 vehicles. The South African plant has produced Nissan’s Navara pick-up truck.

Following Chery’s acquisition, Nissan will continue selling vehicles in South Africa and plans to launch new models in fiscal year 2026, including the Nissan Tekton and Nissan Patrol, the Japanese automaker pointed out.

The move is part of Nissan’s bold ‘Re:Nissan’ plan and clarifies which seven factories worldwide Nissan plans to exit as part of its restructuring efforts. The other six factories targeted for consolidation are located in Argentina, Japan, India, and Mexico.

Strong performance

Chery will offer employment opportunities to the majority of Nissan’s workforce, with terms largely unchanged from current conditions. The company has consistently demonstrated strong performance in the domestic South African market, currently selling over 2,000 new vehicles per month, according to a report by the South African English-language media outlet Engineering News.

The broader group, including Omoda, Jaecoo, and Jetour, achieved combined monthly sales of nearly 5,000 units, the same report noted.

Chery Group sold 2,806,393 vehicles in 2025, marking a 7.8% year-on-year increase, according to data released earlier this month. Chery Auto sold 2,631,381 vehicles in 2025, an 8% increase year-on-year.

The group exported 1,344,020 vehicles in 2025, a 17.4% year-on-year increase. By the end of 2025, Chery Group had cumulatively exported 5.85 million vehicles.

iCar

Chery’s electric vehicle (EV) brand iCar announced Saturday that the first production units of its inaugural extended-range electric vehicle (EREV), the V27, have rolled off the assembly line at its Wuhu, Anhui factory, marking the model’s official entry into mass production.

The vehicle will be launched domestically in China in the first quarter of 2026, with initial units also set to be exported to the Middle East markets. Overseas, the iCar brand is known as iCaur. Positioned as a hardcore five-seat SUV, the V27 is iCar’s largest model to date and continues the brand’s signature boxy design language.

Launched in April 2023, iCar is the group’s first standalone EV brand targeting fashion-conscious young consumers. The brand’s inaugural model, iCar 03, was launched in February 2024 with a starting price of RMB 109,800 ($15,740). Sales of the model ceased in November 2025.

Subsequently, in December 2024, iCar rolled out its second pure-electric model, the V23, which also adopts a boxy design.

V27

The V27 measures 4,909 mm in length, 1,976 mm in width, and 1,855/1,894 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,910 mm. It is significantly larger than the brand’s other models, like the V23 and V23S.

The vehicle features a 1.5T range-extending internal combustion engine paired with electric motors. The engine delivers a maximum power output of 105 kW/143 hp.

The V27 marks iCar’s first foray into the EREV (extended-range electric vehicle) market, a powertrain gaining popularity among Chinese consumers for combining the performance of pure electric vehicles with the range of traditional ICE (internal combustion engine) cars.

The new car will be available in rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations. The all-wheel-drive version features dual motors delivering a combined output of 335 kW/455 hp, achieving 0-100 kph sprint in 5.5 seconds.

The model has a CLTC battery range of more than 200 kilometers and a combined range surpassing 1,200 kilometers. The vehicle’s cockpit system is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295P chip and utilizes a 15.4-inch central display. Pre-orders for the V27 opened on January 10.