The fight for market share in the Pick-up segment is getting turbo-charged following the historic unveiling and public launch of the returnee Peugeot Pick-up vehicle by PAN Nigeria Limited at the NAF Convention Centre & Suites, Kado, Abuja, Nigeria’s political capital.
To underscore the importance attached to the grand launch of the new Peugeot Pick-up utility vehicles, the event scheduled to start at 11 am last week Thursday kicked off promptly with invited guests from the federal and state governments, the military, police, customs, immigrations, the prison service, oil companies, banks and other financial institutions already present at the venue.
Fielding questions on the sidelines after the unveiling and test-drive of the new, Ibrahim Boyi, managing director and chief executive of PAN Nigeria Limited told BusinessDay motoring editor that, he was very elated and excited with arrival of the new Peugeot Pick-up.
Boyi expressed delight that the company are bringing in product that will compete and take its pride of place in the market; we are very happy and sure that the product will be accepted by the customers adding that PAN’s ambitious target is to take 50 pecent share of the Pick-up segment in future.
On the unique selling points of the debutant utility vehicle, Ibrahim Boyi disclosed that, first and foremost is the Peugeot DNA, adding that the brand has been known and trusted as a product of choice. Another value proposition of the vehicle is that, it very easy to run, almost trouble free with low cost of maintenance.
According to the managing director, the most important selling point is that, PAN Nigeria is bringing in the Pick-up into the market at a very competitive price of between N9.5 million to N11 million, noting that there is every reason for the customer to rush and buy the Peugeot Pick-up.
In terms of percentage market target, Boyi said PAN and its dealership across the country is targeting an ambitious 50 percent market share. In his words, ‘’We are coming back to take our position. We have always been the market leaders and there is nothing wrong in coming over to take back our position’’.
Responding to BusinessDay’s concern on how PAN through its distributors is working to expand its market presence in the southern part of Nigeria, he stated that the company will soon be opening up new dealer outlets which will be complemented with very significant and massive products campaign in the south.
To achieve this result of sustainable market expansion strategies, he said the company have identified very key partners that PAN intends to work with and will soon be rolling out new outlets in Lagos and other southern states.
He described the large number of customers that attended the Pick-up product launch as an indication of the emotional attachment and nostalgic feeling that Nigerians have in the Peugeot nameplate as a product of choice for over many decades in the country.
There is a lot of excitement and lots of optimism that Peugeot is back. ‘’Based on the tes-drive we have done few minutes ago, I think, quite a large number of customers who drove the vehicles are virtually committed to the model, they are already taking orders today’’.
On the introduction of the Peugeot Pick-up in diesel engine and plans to introduce the petrol version in order to create choices for customers, the PAN boss advised that, people should start changing their mindset about the wrong perception that since petrol is subsidized and therefore cheap, and therefore diesel is perceived as expensive.
He noted that all over the world, diesel is not really a draw back, rather it is taking over as a product of choice and that should applicable in every market including Nigeria.
The market he advised should start to accept that reality on the continued use of petrol engines when the world is moving away from it and shutting down petrol engines plants.
‘’It is only a matter of time for people to begin accept the advantages of diesel engines. This is because diesel is a lot greener than petrol, emissions are a lot better, and performance of diesel engines are a lot better than petrol, lasts longer, deliver more power and service cycles are also longer than that of petrol. There so many benefits in the diesel version than petrol’’. He remarked.
According to him, if offering the petrol version is what the market requires, PAN will be delivering the petrol engines at some point. The most important thing is that in the contemporary automotive sector, competitions cannot be moving against the tide with the movement of use of petrol to diesel as petrol is fast becoming lesser and lesser fuel efficient.
On aftersales service offering, quality of technicians and spare parts availiability to support the product lines of Peugeot including the new Pick-up, the PAN Nigeria Limited CEO said that one of the key value proposition that the brand is known for lies in aftersales service back-up and that is why most people buy the brand.
‘’In his words, before we launch any product or model including the new Peugeot Pick-up, we train our people in the technology and maintenance and repairs of the vehicles, in the disgnosis of those vehicles and we also make sure we equip our warehouses with the relevant and apprioprate quality spare parts required for servicing and repairs of this vehicle’’. He concluded.
After the formal unveiling of the new Peugeot Pick-up, dignatories at the event led by the Aliyu Jelani, director-general, National Automotive Design & Development Council (NADDC) accompanied by the PAN chief executive, and representatives of the military hierarchy, the government and the corporate community embarked on short test-drive of the vehicle round the Abuja federal capital territory. On-the-spot orders were placed for about five units of the Pick-up by some of the dignitaries that graced the occasion.
MIKE OCHONMA
