Locally assembled brands shine at Argungu motor rally

This year’s Argungu Festival and indeed the Motor Rally may have come and gone, yet the memories the event left behind would forever linger.

More specifically, the Motor Rally event, a key segment of the famous competition held amidst pomp and pageantry was unique and novel in a number of ways.

Being first of its kind in the historic life of Argungu, the Motor Rally held up a major promise for vitality and creativity in the annals of competitive local culture and tradition.

Indeed, the Argungu Festival, held last month, was most remarkable as it featured major auto brands in the Nigerian auto market.

These include GAC Motors with the GA3S, GS4, GS3 and GA4 variants; Elizade featuring the JMC pick-up and Dongfeng trucks; Kojo Motors with the Yutong buses; Globe Motors featuring the Hyundai brand and of course PAN Nigeria, which featured its legendary Peugeot brand alongside its new entrant, the Pan-Higer H5C.

Specifically, the rally which was intended for products assembled in Nigeria had PAN Nigeria feature the Peugeot 301 Allure and the 508 GT Line alongside the Higer-H5C, a 16-seater bus also with a 19-seater variant.

All the variants, including the new Peugeot Pick-Up 4×4, were seen on display both at the Show and Tell event held to flag-off the Rally in Abuja as well as at the pavilion display at the flag-down centre in Argungu.

At the heart of consideration for the contest was that participating auto brands should feature vehicles assembled in Nigeria. The vehicles were to run the race under normal road conditions with natural road obstacles, observing speed limits of 120KM/hr.

To ensure that speed limits were well measured, GPRS kits were fitted on each vehicle. Also considered in the course of the contest were vehicles with engine capacity not exceeding 2.0L, amongst others.

Other considerations include vehicle design, general aesthetics and performance. In all stated rally prerequisite, the Peugeot 508 GT ticked all boxes and gallantly stood far out from the pack.

The rally which held across the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to Nasarawa, Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi States was Peugeot’s moment of glory as the rally brought out more poignantly, the brand’s value, essence and promise before the Nigerian auto consumers. PAN Nigeria indeed made a very categorical statement with its outstanding win as the overall best winner of the Motor Rally.

The winning driver of the 2020 Argungu Motor Rally was Shima Shimbe, who drove the Peugeot 508 GT.
Commenting on the company’s feat, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the auto company, Ibrahim Tanko, who was visibly elated over his company’s performance during the event said: “PAN Peugeot 508 was adjudged the overall best winner because it met all the criteria stipulated by the organizers of the rally.”

He stated that the original motive to participate in the contest by the car company was the desire to share and demonstrate support for the aspiration of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) in proving the importance of the nation’s auto policy.

He added that rally has created opportunities for the sector to make a formal presentation of all locally manufactured vehicles to the executive and the legislature at an elaborate “Show and Tell” media ceremony. The PAN boss commended the organizers for a job well done.

In a similar vein, PAN Nigeria’s Head of Marketing, Joseph Adesanya, disclosed that PAN featured in the Motor Rally in order to showcase its capabilities as a foremost manufacturer and car assembler in Nigeria.

On the implication of being the over-all best winner, Adesanya said the brand is customer-centric as all the vehicles presented excelled in the contest.

Speaking further, he said the Peugeot brand’s unique selling points are performance, comfort, fuel economy, adaptability and safety, adding that all of these are the things that worked in favour and enabled the clear win by the Peugeot 508 GT.

Besides, he stated that the major attractions of the Peugeot brand to the average Nigerian car users are ruggedness and durability in addition to the selling points earlier mentioned.

PAN Nigeria which is positioned as a leading auto-brand in the Nigerian auto industry is one of the oldest and most renowned auto-brands in the country. The company which is behind the great brand name is believed to be the most responsive and endearing motor manufacturing company with age and pedigree in its favour.