CFAO grabs Fuso Trucks franchise
CFAO Motors last Monday introduced a new range of Fuso light, medium and heavy duty trucks to the critical sectors of the Nigerian institutional and corporate business community. The acquisition of the new franchise according to Thomas Pelletier is in the company’s quest to propose a solution to every need of our customers in Nigeria.
The milestone represents another successful launch for Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), one of Asia’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, under its continual growth offensive in Africa following the recent launches in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia and Mozambique.
The Fuso trucks unveiled to the media comes in different applications of drop size, drop tail and can be reconfigured to other usages according to customers’ needs.
Today, we are not only going to distribute light duty trucks, but will expand the range. In this direction, CFAO will have trucks that will fit and fulfil every need of buyers and be well positioned to serve our customers better than before.
Recall that in 2004, Daimler took over Mitsubishi trucks and Bus Corporation. It owes about 90 percent share of the Mitsubishi trucks business, it is no longer Mitsubishi Motors, and it is now Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks and Bus Corporation called Fuso.
Even though CFAO distributes Mitsubishi Motors, today we are talking about a different manufacturer Daimler which produces Fuso trucks.
CFAO is a multi-national company based in Paris, France with over 12,000 employees and listed on the Paris Stock Exchange. The company have been in Nigeria for 12 years. It is not only engaged in passenger vehicles and automotive businesses, it is a conglomerate involved in industrial and pharmaceutical equipments and fast moving consumer goods and will soon go into retail business. CFAO Equipment is a division on CFAO Motors Nigeria Limited, and sole distributor of Mitsubishi Fuso trucks in the country.
The all-new Mitsubishi Fuso truck range comprises 5 new models, the light-medium-duty (GVW 9-16 tons referred to as ‘FA’ / ‘FI’ and FK’/FM) and the medium-heavy-duty (GVW 25tons referred to as ‘FJ’,), thus providing an offer to fit any customer.
The light-medium-duty FA and FI trucks are based on Daimler Trucks technical platform – Fighter medium-duty truck on the chassis and the Canter light-duty truck on the cabin – incorporating a newly developed 4D37 diesel engine (Displacement: 3,907 cc, Output: 100 kW (420 Nm) / 125 kW (520 Nm) and a 6-speed manual transmission.
The medium-heavy-duty FJ based on Daimler Trucks technical platform – Mercedes-Benz Axor chassis and cabin incorporates a newly developed 6S20 diesel engine (Displacement: 6,373 cc, Output: 170 kW (810 Nm) / 205 kW (1,100 Nm) and a 6- or 9-speed manual transmission. FJ: 6×2/6×4, GVW 25 tons, Cargo, Dump, Mixer
These robust, fuel-efficient trucks, custom-tailored to meet the ever demanding customer expectations in the growth markets; reinforce Mitsubishi Fuso’s leading presence in Africa. Rigorous testing has been assessed under the most strenuous driving conditions to ensure maximum reliability of the trucks.
Mitsubishi Fuso’s products are built for maximum profitability: Trusted quality, economic efficiency, solid functional design and committed services are what to expect when purchasing a truck from the sole distributor CFAO Motors Nigeria Limited
Rajaram Krishnamurthy, Head of Regional Centre Africa, said, “Nigeria is one of our strategic markets in West Africa, and we intend to significantly increase market share for our Mitsubishi Fuso brand in close cooperation with our local distributor.
He also stated that ‘’CFAO Motors Nigeria has built an efficient sales and after-sales network to serve customers nationwide. These newly launched robust Mitsubishi Fuso trucks will help to further strengthen our portfolio and offer more choice for our customers in Nigeria.”
CFAO is a front-ranking specialized distributor and preferred partner of major international brands, serving the high-potential equipment, healthcare and consumer goods markets in Africa and the French overseas territories. CFAO is present in 34 countries – including 33 in Africa – and 7 French overseas territories. The Group had a headcount of 12,000 at end-2014.
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) based in Kawasaki, Japan, is one of Asia’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. In 2014, (MFTBC) sold a total of about 174.595 vehicles including light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses, a 1.7% increase over the previous year. Daimler AG owns 89.29% of MFTBC shares and various Mitsubishi group companies own 10.71% of MFTBC shares. MFTBC is an integral part of the Daimler Trucks Division of Daimler AG.
MIKE OCHONMA