Popularity of Chinese automobiles soars in Nigeria

By Sulaiman Adenekan


The gradual acceptance of Chinese automobile technology in Nigeria has received a boost as big firms, government agencies and hospitals are taking to the brands.






For instance, less than two year after they arrived Nigerian, both Geely and Cheery cars manufacturers have increased their supplies to the country by over 200 per cent each.

The Managing Director, Hyra Motors, Mr. Seyi Oyinlola said no fewer than 800 units of Geely had been sold and currently on the nation’s roads in the last one year.

His counterpart for Cheery, Mr. David Bakare, who gave a similar report at the ongoing Lagos Motor Fair, singled out Tiggo as having an upper hand in terms of accepatance and the number of units sold.

He said, “We have eight models and all of them are doing well, but I can tell you that Tiggo is the model responsible for Cherry’s success in this market because it was the first to gain wide acceptance and its wonderful performance has convinced the people about the brand.”

The Vice-President, Geely Motors, Mr. Yang Jian, at a forum in Lagos, last year, said that the growing popularity of the new cars was global and not peculiar to Nigeria .

For instance, he said that the Chinese firm had made 40,000 unit sales this year through its overseas outlets.

The figure, he said, represented 400 per cent increase over what it recorded last year.

Motoring experts and analysts, who expressed no surprise at the instant success of the Chinese vehicles, said it was due to their relative cheap prices.

According to Bakare, the volume of his company’s sales increases every year.

He recalled that the company last year’s highest single sale was between 10 and12 units, but this year, the auto dealer had recorded sales in batches of hundreds and more.

He said, “A year ago, the largest volume we delivered at a go was between 10 and 12 units, but this year we delivered in batches of hundreds.

“Recently, we delivered to teaching hospitals, university, this month we just delivered 40 units to a private school in Ibadan, and this goes to make a statement, because when you are new in the market, people would say okay these products are cheap let me try it, but after three years when they start buying in large volumes it then means the products are good, it shows the brands are here to stay, not just Chery but also BYD.”

He said that his company stormed the Lagos auto show with all the brands on its stable including Cherry, BYD, and its new Executive Coach Builders brands, adding that the long awaited Cherry A5 was also unveiled at the show.

About the BYD brands, Bakare said that apart from the two models currently in the Nigeria market; his company planned to take delivery of about three more models before the end of the year.

This, he said, would boost the brand and also allow for variety of choices.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/oct/3/405.html

Chinese vehicles are crap. They couldn't even pass US auto standards.