KIA

By Daniels Ekugo

Dana Motors, a leading auto company in Nigeria participated in the recently held media parade organized by the National Automotive Design and Development Council [NADDC] in Abuja. A prelude to the eventful Argungu Motor rally, the all-new 2020 Kia and DFM made-in-Nigeria models displayed at the fair were breathtakingly auspicious and attracted the vast majority of the attendees of the event to have a close-up look and feel of the top of the line cars on display.

The event is aimed at demonstrating the feats recorded by the auto policy for the past years. Organized by the NADDC, the media outing highlighted the milestones achieved by the auto policy in the production of made-in-Nigeria vehicles to the Federal Government and the general public. The made-in-Nigeria vehicles are testaments to the success recorded in the industry over the years to make Nigeria a self-sustaining industrialized nation with locally produced vehicles.

Mr. Adeniyi Adebayo, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, speaking at the event stated that “the vehicles and brands that were being unveiled by the government was a testament to the zeal and commitment of the automotive industrial sector to government’s efforts towards diversification and development of the non-oil sector of the economy… The role of the NADDC in reviving and sustaining the automotive sector has greatly helped in stimulating growth and development in the Nigerian automotive industry.”

Also commenting on the stride of the council on the gains of the auto policy, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade, and investment, Amb. Mariam Katagum, charged the auto companies to do more in the area of local content and have faith in the Federal Government’s commitment to economic diversification.

Keying into the Federal government’s economic diversification, Dana Motors Limited has been at the vanguard of the production of locally produced best-in-class vehicles in Nigeria. Having established a multi-billion Naira state of the art assembly plant in Lagos, the auto company has produced technologically advanced vehicles for both the Kia and DFM brands. Reinforcing the company’s unwavering commitment to the industrialization of the Nigerian economy, Dana Motors Limited has invested heavily in the assembly plant. Its state-of-the-art technologies are arguably at par with any renowned and international plant in the world. The plant prides itself on the production of over 13 models and their respective trims cutting across two multinational brands [Kia and DFM] in the country with thousands of units rolled out since its launch in April 2014.

Speaking at the event, The Director-General, National Automotive Design and Development Council, Jelani Aliyu, said Nigerians spent over $8 billion on vehicle importation yearly. This, he said was hurting the local automotive industry that was established in 2013. He said the National Automotive Industry Development Plan established about six years ago has attracted about $1 billion into the Nigerian economy despite Nigerians preference for imported cars. Jelani further remarked that so far about one billion dollars had been invested by the auto companies whose cars were being unveiled while 4,700 people were directly employed in the sector. He, however, lamented on the lack of patronage of the locally produced cars and it’s hurting the growth of the industry.

The media parade organized by the NADDC is positioned to encourage the government and the teeming Nigeria public to patronize the locally produced vehicles. Having ticked all the boxes for technologically advanced cars – durability, style, luxury and performance capabilities – Kia and DFM vehicles have over the years remained the preferred options for car owners and Dana Motors has continued to edged others with cost-effective and affordable cars which are the hallmark of the auto policy.

To make the cars affordable to all, Jelani added that it set aside five billion naira towards a single-digit vehicle finance scheme and was talking with banks such as Zenith, Wema and Jaiz to provide the financing for vehicles made in Nigeria.