Chery Auto’s Rosslyn Plant Opens in South Africa, LEPAS Rides Momentum to Accelerate Local Expansion

PRETORIA, South Africa, July 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Witnessed by high-level officials from both China and South Africa, Chery Auto officially inaugurated the Rosslyn Plant. Originally built in 1963, this long-established automobile manufacturing plant has been revitalized under Chery Auto’s stewardship, marking the company’s transition from an importer to a local manufacturer in South Africa and a strategic move in its global expansion.

Paul Mashatile (South African Deputy President), Panyaza Lesufi (Premier of Gauteng Province), Nasiphi Moya (Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane), Wu Peng (Ambassador of China to South Africa), along with Yin Tongyue (Chairman of Chery Auto), Zhang Guibing (Executive Vice President of Chery Auto), Zhang Shengshan (Vice President of Chery Auto), and approximately 350 other guests attended the ceremony, jointly witnessing this significant moment in China-Africa automotive industry cooperation.

Retaining All 692 Employees and Generating Nearly 3,000 Jobs
The opening of the Rosslyn Plant marks another significant milestone in Chery Auto’s globalization journey. Yin Tongyue said: “According to the concept of ‘In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere’, no matter where it invests, Chery Auto will try its best to integrate into the local economy, local community and the future of this country in every market it enters.”

The Rosslyn Plant was acquired by Chery Auto from a foreign company. Chery Auto promised to retain all 692 employees in the factory and will drive nearly 3,000 jobs upstream and downstream of the industrial chain. The factory will be fully upgraded and renovated, and is scheduled to be officially put into production in the middle of next year. After full production, the annual production capacity will reach 50,000 vehicles per shift. At present, Chery Auto has launched an extensive localization plan, striving to achieve the initial goal of a 40% localization rate by 2028.

Chery Auto’s positioning of the Rosslyn Plant is to build it into a comprehensive automotive hub integrating R&D, manufacturing, supply chain, skills training and global radiation. At the same time, Chery Auto plans to build South Africa into Chery’s regional operation center in southern Africa, starting with the opening of the Rosslyn Plant.

Where and why, fully integrate into local industry and society
With the opening of the Rosslyn Plant, Chery Auto has also for the first time fully laid out the entire industrial chain ecology in Africa-from raw materials to terminal products, and then to renewable energy cycles. The diversified industrial layout covers passenger cars, commercial vehicles, smart agricultural machinery, renewable energy photovoltaics, mineral resources, robots and circular economy.

At the same time, Chery Auto announced that it will rely on the “Cherish the Nature” global cooperation framework with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to launch a cooperation project in key nature reserves in South Africa to systematically promote biodiversity protection, ecosystem restoration and community livelihood improvement.

As one of the most important partners of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Chery Auto has pledged to donate $12 million to support global education projects since 2023, especially supporting UNICEF’s science and innovation education projects in South Africa. Chery Auto supported programming and robotics courses are being rolled out across South Africa to help prepare South African students for future careers.

All-New Brand LEPAS Has Arrived in South Africa, LEPAS L6 Launch Nears
Chery Group has established a comprehensive brand portfolio in South Africa, ranking second in the industry in sales from January to May this year, trailing only Toyota. LEPAS, a all-new mid-to-premium brand rooted in an elegant lifestyle, has officially entered the South African market, marking its debut in Africa. Leveraging Chery Group’s well-established dealer network and service system in the region, LEPAS is rapidly integrating into the local market, bringing South African consumers a new choice for elegant mobility with its three core values: Leopard Aesthetics, Elegant Technology, and Exquisite Space.

The brand’s latest model, the LEPAS L6, is set to launch in South Africa in the near future, offering even broader choices for local customers. As a key component of Chery Group’s brand strategy in South Africa, LEPAS will continue to support the Group’s deep-rooted growth and high-quality development in the market with a clear brand positioning and a steady product cadence.

LEPAS L6
Disclaimer: The vehicle depicted is the global debut model, presented for illustrative purposes only. Final specifications and features are subject to the official South Africa market launch.

Contact person: Peiwen Tan
Email: tanpeiwen@mychery.com
Website: lepasinternational.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ec0afa04-dc77-4768-8bf5-927f48ff6e90 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72061860-c45f-4f72-85ba-1af734aa3e77