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.