Ford Motor Co's new
Nigerian assembly plant has built its first model and will produce an initial
10 vehicles a day for the domestic market, the U.S.-based carmaker said on
Tuesday. The
company said in August it would start the assembly of its best-selling Ford
Ranger pickup trucks in Nigeria, as it expands in Africa and the Middle East.
Reuters report continues:
The
auto market in Africa's biggest economy has huge potential but only a small
number of new vehicles are sold annually. The sector is dominated by imported
used vehicles and the absence of an industrial policy that would encourage
suppliers to set up in Nigeria has stunted growth.
"Africa
is one of the youngest markets in the world and presents a huge opportunity in
terms of consumption," Jeff Nemeth, Ford's sub-Sahara chief executive,
said in a statement.
The
Nigerian assembly plant, set up in partnership with Ford dealer Coscharis
Motors Ltd, is the first in Africa outside South Africa, where Ford produces
the Ranger for 148 markets.
"The
facility will accommodate one shift and will produce an initial 10 units per
day for the Nigerian market, creating approximately 180 direct and indirect
jobs," Nemeth said.
The
Ikeja plant near Lagos will assemble the Ford Ranger using parts and components
imported from South Africa. It will have the capacity to assemble up to 5,000
vehicles annually, which will be sold in Nigeria.
Ford produces 85,000
vehicles in South Africa each year, which are sold in 24 African countries.
Meanwhile BBC News reports that the Ford assembly plant
near Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, has produced its first vehicle, the
company says. It's
tweeted a picture of the Ford Ranger.
It's
the first time the vehicle has been assembled outside of South Africa, and
Ford is keen to get access to the Nigerian market, the company's CEO in
sub-Saharan Africa Jeff Nemeth said.
The
Nigerian plant will start off by producing 10 vehicles a day.
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