Stallion NMN wins Nissan’s Global Merit Award for growth

NISSAN Motor Company has conferred Stallion NMN with Global Merit Award for outstanding efforts in capturing significant market share in Nigeria.

The award came after Stallion NMN, the authorised dealer and assembler of the brand in Nigeria boosts up market share year-on-year, recording a significant jump from four per cent in 2013 to 10 per cent in 2014.

Presenting the award at Nissan’s showroom in Lagos, Managing Director and President, Nissan South Africa Region, Mike Whitfield, who lauded the dealer for the effort, said Nigeria remained a key market in the organisation’s agenda.

He stated that the organisation was making effort to further improve its investments in the country as it look forward to leverage on the nation’s automobile policy to achieve Nissan’s power 88 objectives of sustainable operating profit and market share growth.

Whitfield stressed that the organisation was commitment to offer services that are satisfactory to customer, boosts investment in after-sales and spare part services, enhance its distribution network and production volume in Nigeria

He said: “We have worked side by side with Stallion Group to achieve what is a very encouraging increase in our share of the key Nigerian market… and we are delighted all results show Nissan is making progress.”

Whitfield maintained that Africa has become an increasingly important market for manufacturers across the world, stating that demand could rise by 24 per cent through 2016 owning to the growing Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and a versatile middle-class essential to a growing economy and mature political system.

According to him, Nissan is growing with Africa and believes the continent is well-positioned in sub-Saharan region for long-term growth to consistently meet customers’ needs through an expanding model range; retail network and an evolving industrial footprint in Nigeria.

Disclosing that the company was targeting to use Nigeria as hub to serve the automotive need of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) in the near future, Whitfield said was a key market for Nissan with ambitious potential for growth despite the current slump in global oil price and dwindling economic trend.

Chairman, West African Conglomerate Stallion Group, Sunil Vaswani, who expressed joy over the achievement said: “It is our intention to progressively build Nissan’s market share in the coming years and transform the Nissan brand into one of Nigeria’s foremost. We value our partnership with Nissan and aim to deliver world-class products and expertise.”

He said Stallion is investing in developing an integrated value chain for its products in the country, thereby acting as catalyst for Nigeria’s automotive ecosystem.

“Together with Nissan, we will compliment Nigeria’s ambition to become the region’s automotive hub and provide a comprehensive range of passenger and commercial vehicles to meet the growing demand for new vehicles in Nigeria,” Vaswani assured.