Chery made a dramatic entrance in 2021 with the affordable and well-equipped Tiggo 4 Pro range. Soon after, the Chinese automaker introduced the Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro ranges, and can now service anyone looking for anything from a compact crossover to a large 7-seater SUV.
The local market has shown its support through the fast-growing sales figures of the Chery line-up. However, those who might be considering purchasing a Chery product and might be concerned about after-sales support, more particularly the availability of local parts. We made our way to the local parts warehouse to find out more.
Related: Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max (2024) Review
So before you sell your car quickly and easily here, and search for new or used Chery models on AutoTrader here. Let us first find out if you will have the after-sales support should anything go wrong.
Chery spare parts warehouse
When Chery started planning to carry spare parts locally, a company called Freight Care Logistics won the contract to assist with receiving, storing and distributing the parts. After a brief stint in a much smaller facility and after well-deserved success in the vehicle sales charts, FCL and Chery realised that they would need to scale the operations dramatically.
The new and current facilities take shape as a warehouse offering just over 6000 square meters of storage space as well as offices and training facilities for newcomers to the company. The new warehouse operations utilise some of the latest technologies to receive and maintain stock counts and execute quick picking for orders.
The parts warehouse not only works with shipping companies but dealers and or approved repair service providers can even come and collect parts should there be an urgent order. The system employed not only provides pickers with the number of available parts but also their locations in the warehouse and, for the most part, allows for a paper-free working environment.
The warehouse, on average, can pick and ship well in excess of 100 orders a day. Thus, the 78 Chery dealers found across South Africa have minimal delay in receiving parts and can get to servicing or repairing a vehicle quickly.
Chery parts availability
When Floris Du Toit was appointed as head of the department for Chery aftersales, his first point of business was to ensure that customers had support in the form of local parts availability. Thus, between January 2022 and December 2023, the overall local spare parts stock value has grown to exceed the R70 million mark.
What does this mean for the Chery vehicle owner? That means that, on average, 98.4% of the time, if you require a spare part for your Chery car, the after-sales team can pick it up from the local warehouse instead of having to order the part from China. This is one of the highest rates in the country at the moment. Why is this important for the Chery customer?
Well, considering that if a part needs to be ordered, there will be a big delay in the repair or maintenance of your vehicle as a part will need to be shipped and cleared at customs, added to the local inventory and only then be couriered to your particular dealership. Now, the part is available already, and a dealer can have it in hand within as little as 24 hours from when the item was requested.
In 2022, the National Automobile Dealers' Association (NADA) conducted their annual dealer satisfaction index (DSI) survey, and for the question, "Are parts available from your manufacturer/importer at acceptable levels?" Chery scored 40%. In 2023, Chery improved on that score to achieve an impressive 78.9% in one calendar year.
For the question, "Are parts delivered to your dealership regularly and on time?" Chery scored 70% in 2022. But they once again improved on that score in 2023 with an overall rating of 89.5%. These figures are an indication that Chery dealerships are becoming more and more satisfied that they have the support to provide the necessary repairs or services for their valued customers.
Floris Du Toit added that he is committed to not just feature within the top 10 of these NADA dealer satisfaction index surveys but continuously aiming to top the chart. This type of commitment should put individuals considering a Chery as their next vehicle at ease that the company will support their ownership journey.
