BBA Motors plans to move beyond vehicle sales into local assembly as it prepares to increase its Nigerian investment from more than $30 million to over $50 million.
Managing Director Rebecca Liyuan Jia, in an exclusive interview with Motoring World, disclosed that the company intends to begin assembly once it secures appropriate franchise arrangements, signalling ambitions to establish a deeper foothold in Nigeria’s automotive industry.
However, the company has yet to announce an assembly location, project cost or commencement date.
“Currently, our total investment is more than $30 million. In a short time, it will exceed $50 million,” Jia said.
A substantial portion of the existing investment is tied up in vehicle stock, with further spending planned for showrooms, workshops and other automotive services.
The expansion rests on what Jia describes as a largely untapped opportunity: new vehicles account for less than five per cent of Nigeria’s automotive market.
For BBA Motors, that low penetration offers room for competitively priced vehicles supported by dependable aftersales services.
Having commenced Nigerian operations just over a year ago, the company has expanded from Lagos to Abuja, adopting a multi-brand sales strategy covering Changan, Jetour, Toyota and Geely.
Its next push places workshops at the centre of expansion.
Jia said BBA Motors is developing two aftersales facilities in Lagos to serve its customers and owners of other Chinese vehicles.
In Abuja, it is building an electric-vehicle service network comprising a central workshop and affiliated facilities supported with equipment, technical assistance and spare parts.
The company is also expanding into rentals, fleet supply and ride-hailing solutions, targeting corporate mobility needs and drivers unable to afford outright vehicle ownership.
Its new-energy ambitions include the introduction of the premium Zeekr 9X. Jia believes luxury buyers’ ability to install home chargers could ease charging concerns, while corporate fleets could drive demand for more affordable EVs.
But financing remains a major obstacle.
Jia said high interest rates complicate conventional bank-funded purchases, prompting the company to explore raising capital from China for alternative financing solutions.
“We want to become the best company in terms of providing automotive services to Nigerians over the next five years,” she said.
The proposed assembly operation would mark its biggest strategic shift, although its timing remains dependent on securing the required franchise arrangements.
©Copyright MOTORING WORLD INTERNATIONAL. All rights reserved. Materials, photographs, illustrations and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior written permission from Motoring World International
Contact: editor@motoringworldng.com
