17/05/2026
Toyota SA Rocked Up to NAMPO With a New Hilux and Zero Chill
There are agricultural shows, and then there's . Since 1967, when barely 200 sunburned maize farmers gathered on a farm called Donkerhoek near Bloemfontein to compare notes and kick tyres, what was then called the "Sampi Harvest Day" has transformed into South Africa's premier agricultural showcase - attracting over 87,000 visitors and earning its title as the largest agricultural exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere. Today, held annually just outside Bothaville in the Free State, it is less a show and more a pilgrimage.
Toyota understands pilgrimage. The first Toyota - a Land Cruiser - arrived on South African soil in 1959, and by 1962 the company was already building vehicles locally. Over six decades later, Toyota has led the South African new vehicle market for four consecutive months in 2026, commanding a 21.2% market share in April alone. In the light commercial vehicle segment, Toyota holds a commanding 34.9% share - and the Hilux sits at the very tip of that spear, with 4,118 units sold in March alone. In a country where the bakkie is not merely transport but identity, that number means something profound.
Which brings us to Bothaville, 12–15 May, and what Toyota is doing at the Harvest Day. The headliner - the thing that'll make grown farmers go quiet - is the all-new, next-generation Hilux, making its first public appearance anywhere in South Africa. Alongside it stands the new , the striking new , and Toyota's first fully electric offering in Mzansi, the . Lexus raises the luxury stakes with the new fully electric RZ and the GX.
But Toyota hasn't come merely to display sheetmetal. In celebration of the generation, the brand is attempting multiple on Wednesday, 13 May, bringing together Hilux owners from across the country for what promises to be something genuinely, properly special. One lucky participant even
