Nissan motors to roll out first made in Nigeira SUV in April

Automobile giant Nissan Motors plans to roll out the first made-in-Nigeria 4 X 4 Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) in April, using the old Volkswagen Assembly plant owned by its partners.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Carlos Ghosn broke the news during a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Ghosn said it was possible to produce two to three million cars in Nigeria yearly, with the consequent creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

He said Nissan planned to increase its investment in Nigeria and establish its own vehicle production plants.

Ghosn, who applauded the Federal Government’s new automotive policy, said it would encourage the inflow of investments and technical expertise to boost domestic vehicle production.

Stressing that the company also plans to bring its global suppliers to make vehicle components in Nigeria, he said: “We are interested in producing popular cars, adapted to the needs of Nigerians,”

President Jonathan said his administration was committed to developing Nigeria’s automobile industry through the implementation of the new national automotive policy.

The main objective of the policy, he said, was to make new cars affordable.

He said: “The only way to reduce the preponderance of second-hand cars is to produce good quality cars with affordable pricing locally,”

Praising the Nissan group’s investment in vehicle production in Nigeria, he said investors in local automobile production would have a huge ready market for their products.

“The automobile industry in Nigeria has a huge potential for growth. The market is not just Nigeria, but the entire West African region,” Dr. Jonathan said.

President Jonathan also met with President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, who assured him of his participation in the World Economic Forum on Africa scheduled to take place in Abuja.

He later received the Mayor of Atlanta, the United States, Mr. Kasim Reed and Mr. Claude Dauphin, the president of Trafigura, a leading international commodities trading and logistics company.

The Nation