Nissan's deal with Chery keeps Rosslyn plant viable and protects jobs

After more than 60 years of production in Rosslyn, Nissan has sold the plant to Chinese manufacturer

- WILLEM VAN DE PUTTE

THE Nissan plant in Rosslyn has been sold to Chinese manufacturer Chery.

(TIMOTHY BERNARD African News Agency (ANA))

AFTER more than 60 years of production at the Nissan Plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria, the sale of land, buildings and associated assets including its stamping plant was driven by needing to look at how to keep an important South African manufacturing plant viable, protect jobs, and find a long-term solution that made sense not only for the business, but for the country.

That thinking ultimately led Nissan to a deal with Chinese manufacturer Chery.

Speaking to Independent Media on the sidelines of the Nissan GTR's AGM at their head office in Irene, Pretoria, Nissan Africa president Jordi Vila said that once production of the NP200 ceased, it became clear that something had to replace it to keep the Rosslyn plant operational and financially sustainable.

"When the NP200 ended, we all knew that something needed to replace it to keep the plant in the black and keep it running," Vila said.

Nissan initially explored introducing a new locally built product, potentially with multiple powertrains, that could serve South Africa while also being exported into Africa, Europe and the Middle East. But those plans fell away as Nissan entered its global Nissan restructuring towards the end of 2024.

"A number of projects were cancelled," Vila explained. "From that point, we knew the solution we had initially planned for was no longer possible."