China's Chery Buys S. Africa Plant from Locally Struggling Nissan
By Reuters | 23 Jan, 2026

Facing stiff competition in South Africa from Toyota, Ford and Isuzu, Nissan plans to sell its Rosslyn pickup truck plant to one of China's top carmakers.

Nissan Motor said on Friday it would sell its manufacturing assets in Rosslyn, South Africa, to the local arm of China's Chery Automobile for an undisclosed sum.

Chery SA will buy the land, buildings and associated assets of Nissan's facilities in mid-2026 if conditions, including regulatory approvals, are met by then, the struggling Japanese automaker said in a statement. 

Production of the Navara pickup truck, the plant's only model, will end in May if the deal goes ahead, a Nissan spokesperson said. The model is made for the local market and exported to several countries, mainly in Africa.

The move is part of Nissan's ongoing turnaround plan under which it is closing or consolidating seven plants. The company declined to confirm the production capacity of the Rosslyn plant, which was set up more than 50 years ago.

"External factors have had a well-known impact on the utilisation of the Rosslyn plant and its future viability within Nissan," Nissan Africa president Jordi Vila said in the statement.

Nissan has been hard hit in South Africa since production of its high-volume NP200 half-ton pickup truck ended in 2023. 

It faces stiff competition from Toyota's Hilux, Ford's Ranger and Isuzu's D-Max pickup trucks, all ranked in the top 10 best-selling cars in the country. 

Chery SA, the South African arm of China's third-largest automaker by volume, declined to comment on the agreement.

Most affected Nissan employees will be offered positions by Chery SA on similar terms and conditions to those they currently have, Nissan said in its statement. 

Nissan added it will continue to sell and service vehicles in South Africa, with several launches planned for the 2026 financial year, including the Tekton and Patrol models.

The CEO of Chery South Africa had said in October that the company was considering using another manufacturer's facility, forming a joint venture or building its own greenfield site in South Africa.

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink and Chang-Ran Kim in Tokyo, Nqobile Dludla in Johannesburg; editing by Philippa Fletcher)