Most marquees are in a state of regrouping and sharing their rollout plans for the rest of 2025 and beyond. The latest to share their plans and activities for the current year was the Stellantis Group.
It’s important to note that the Stellantis Group took some time to properly re-establish itself and educate us about the many brands that fall under its umbrella, which include Opel, Citroën, Fiat, Jeep, and Alfa, as well as the soon-to-be-launched Leapmotor, especially regarding how these fit into our local market.
Because Stellantis has a multitude of brands, they have chosen to form a chart with subsections that focus on different segments of the market and consumer. Allow me to explain:
Peugeot
Pro-One focuses on vans and pickups for commercial use, with Fiat and Peugeot included in this segment, both globally and locally.
It introduces tailor-made solutions, new models, EVs, minibuses, and larger derivatives. Fiat and Peugeot, which have now undergone subtle rebranding that still looks familiar, were strongly mentioned as the leaders of this Pro-One strategy. The first to experience this change or update is the new Landtrek Bakkie, and the big news is that it will exclusively have two derivatives: one for the hard worker who will be moving heavy loads and transporting goods, while the other one works hard but is family-oriented, meaning the car will spend most of its life in the concrete jungle.
Citroën
Next up is the segment that caters to an alternative demographic with a high number of younger consumers.
Citroën said that their focus will be on competing within the B segment, the Citreon brand contributed 18% to Stellantis’ volume sales in 2023. The brand was happy to introduce the C3 Hola which is their latest offering in the now booming one-ton bakkie segment, the heavily contested segment means the Hola will compete against vehicles like the Nissan Magnite and Hyundai i10 panel vans, which have already penetrated the commercial half-ton segment, launch details and pricing is yet to be announced.
Jeep
Jeep presented plans for unique products slated to come to our local shores, the motoring sphere is going green and so is the all American Jeep brand? yes because they too are set to introduce their NEV lineup for the first time in Mzansi in the form of the Avenger, Compass, and Recon.
Do not throw a fit yet because a very exciting point came up in their showcases: Jeep is working to hopefully reintroduce the V6 and V8 under the Wrangler Rubicon and Willys nameplates, which is noteworthy since the currently available Jeep Wrangler is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, leaving many shocked and rather underwhelmed. Nevertheless, they have finally let us have a say by potentially bringing the V6 and V8 back, but this might change sooner rather than later.
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo is realigning its strategy by introducing the updated Tonale, Stelvio, and Giulia. Alfa emphasized that their main focus is on performance throughout their entire lineup. Making its first-time debut was the Alfa Romeo Junior, a 1.2-liter turbocharged engine with a 48 kW battery and a front-mounted 21 kW motor hybrid offering that they claim is quite enjoyable to drive. Various sources suggest that pricing for the Junior will start at R811,899 and top out at around R895,129.
Leap Motors
Leap Motor, known as a leading all-electric vehicle manufacturer in and out of China, according to statistics , will soon introduce vehicles to the South African market, including the C-10 SUV, which was revealed to the media, and the TO3 HATCH EV.
The C-10 is a full size SUV that is available with to two powertrains which are either full EV or Plug-in Hybrid. In terms of range you get up to 480km of NEDC combined range in BEV and up to 1,150km NEDC combined range in REEV Ultra Hybrid.
The local all specification will be disclosed closer to introduction of the C-10 which is expected later this year or early 2026.
Opel
Let’s talk about Grandland, which is made in Germany. It is designed for both ICE and BEV but will be exclusively ICE in our market for now, with 550 liters of boot space locally. It features 40:20:40 split seats to accommodate bicycles and furniture, a Snapdragon-powered cockpit, dedicated passenger zone widgets, physical buttons , and AGR certification for good backs. Currently, there is one version, but we will have the top-of-the-range GS Line. Opel also shared plans to introduce another SUV in the form of the Frontera which is coming soon.