…Allays Fear Associated With Chinese Auto Brands
Dana Motors Limited, a Nigerian auto company with one of the largest assembly plants in West Africa, has launched into the Nigeria market, Dongfeng, a major auto brand in China.
[dropcap]D[/dropcap]uring the launch held at DFM showroom on Akin Adesola street, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday, two sedan,(DFM S50 and A9), a P16 truck and SUV X5 were unveiled before motoring press and representatives of Dongfeng.
Dana Motors is partnering with Dondfeng Motor Corporation (DFM), China automotive industry’s first well-known trademark and one of the ‘World Top 500 Famous Brands.
On the rationale behind launching a new auto brand at a time when new vehicle sales are going down in the country, Olawale said his company was motivated by the need to solve affordability problems of the nation’s auto users as well as key into the industrialization plan of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“As a matter of fact,” he explained, “driving the industrialization of this administration, which centres on the diversification of the economy, what we have done is, rather than going into buying and selling, we have gone further by making sure we actually assemble these vehicles in Nigeria.
“We have experts from China, who have come to our assembly plant to tailor the plant to fit into the specification of the production of Dongfeng vehicles. These vehicles are tropicalized to meet the expectation of our customers in Nigeria. They are made in Nigeria for Nigerians.”
According to him, Dana Motors took time to search and get the best of the rest among the Chinese brands before settling for Dongfeng.
He explained: “We also did our background check and had series of meetings with Dongfeng both in China and Nigeria. So, there is a synergy with Dongfeng. Throwing our weight behind a brand means a lot to us and our customers. The good image we have attained over the years is what we are bringing into Dongfeng.
“It is true that Nigeria market is divided into used and new market. Every Nigerian wants to drive a new car but the restriction in budget forced them to go for used cars.
“On recognizing that fact, we decided to offer a Chinese brand, which is not only more affordable, but boast of some of the features customers always long for in the high end cars.
“We are bridging the gap between what you have and what you want: your budget and what your expectation is in a car. DFM is offering cars that combine affordability with performance and luxury you always crave for.’’
The Dana Motors Marketing Manager said his company is aware of Nigerians’ concerns about Chinese brands, but assured the nation’s auto buyers of his company’s readiness to build quality trust as it did for Kia.
He said: ‘You would agree with me that, when Dana came into existence, it came with an unknown brand with relatively unknown place. Nigerians were sceptical about how that brand could be successful, particularly an Asian brand. But we gave the best after-sales service, the best in class modal range at an affordable price.
‘’Like you know, Dana Motors has had a number of successful years in the auto industry. We have our logistics to support our brands; we have the after-sales and technical experts. We also have an assembly plant that has been producing for the past five years. We know the major issue that has bedevilled China brands in Nigeria is after-sales.
assembling. We brought in the technical experts of Dongfeng to train our engineers on how to handle the cars. Apart from that, experts are also on ground at the pilot stage to make sure that some of these cars conform to the standard. “
Positioned to be the new dress code for Nigeria roads, the introduction of DFM brand in Nigeria is aimed at meeting the ever-evolving needs of customers ranging from delivered quality aftersales services to offering the best-in-class model range from the premium sedan, to uniquely built SUV and all terrain Pickup.
DFM is one of the global brands with a uniquely innovative design that continuously remains at the vanguard of leading auto brands and setting the pace in automotive engineering across the globe.
