Ford Motor Company said it is optimistic of increasing its market presence in Nigeria. This renewed interest was declared by Neale Hill, managing director of Ford South Africa and Ford Sub-Saharan Africa, in George, South Africa venue of the historic media launch and rest drive of the upgraded new Ford Ranger.
During a press launch in George, South Africa last month, Neale Hill, managing director of Ford Motor Copany, South Africa (FMCSA) assured that, the updated Ranger pick-up would in the future also be assembled in Nigeria at the Ford plant inaugurated by Coscharis Motors in October, 2017.
“When we were building the Ford plant in Nigeria, we were looking forward to having a good volume of production. Nobody had expected the present economic situation’’.
He was, however, optimistic that the market would bustle again, and that the coming of the new Ranger would stand Ford and Coscharis Motors in good stead in the Nigerian market.
The Managing Director and other Ford officials at the press launch attended by journalists from 15 countries said the out-going generation of Ranger has been a phenomenal success in the light commercial vehicles segment, both in South Africa and internationally.
Hill further explained that the investment of billions of Rands to operations at the Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria made it possible for Ford to produce a wider range and higher volume of vehicles, including the Ranger, for the South African market and export to {other} African and European markets.
Last year, international demand for the trend-setting Ranger pickup reached an all-time high, with the Silverton plant shipping a total of 68 364 units to export markets – a substantial 16.2 per cent increase compared to 2017.
The managing director described last year as an extremely busy and successful year for Ford export business, asit attained the highest-ever production volume for the Ford Ranger, boosted our export volumes of 16.2 percent to retain our undisputed leadership of the light commercial vehicle (LCV) export segment.
The new Ranger is also a strategic product in the brand’s drive to enhance its position in the Sub-Sahara Africa region, including Nigeria, where Ford’s partner, Coscharis Motors Limited, operates an assembly plant.
Combined Ranger production for the domestic in South Africa and export markets for 2018 ended on 98,505 units which is about 8,383 more than the previous year’s.
This is the highest annual production volume to date for Ford’s South African operations, with December 2018 reaching a new monthly record of 11,091 combined Ranger sales.
MIKE OCHONMA
