JAC finally opens Nigerian dealership
It was a dream come through and a promise kept years down the line after series of model testing in Nigeria spanning four months or 20,000 kilometers as the JAC brand headquartered in China finally enters into the local automotive market with Elizade Autoland and the preferred franchisee.
This follows the official unveiling of the ultra-modern flagship facility (3-S) spare, parts and service centre located on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, near Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, with an investment of an estimated $2million.
Taking the audience who listened with pin-drop attention in his keynote address during the formal public commencement of business in Lagos, Michael Ade.Ojo, founder, Elizade Nigeria Limited, likened JAC as diamond in the rough.
In his submission, ‘’It is personally exciting for me, as you know choosing the right brand to partner with, has the potential to influence the level of success you can attain in the market”.
“Introducing JAC into the Nigerian market wasa very serious matter that warranted us to dot all i’s and cross all t’s, taking nothing for granted concerning our desire to please those who will put their trust and confidence in us and in the new product being offered to them”.
Mike Ade.Ojo recalled that in the 70’s when he started with Toyota, the popular car brands were Peugeot, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Volvo and others. Toyota at that period was relatively unknown, an upstart that was trying to break into the small but promising Nigerian auto market at that time.
According to him, he dabbled into offering various kinds of auto brands trying to appease customers with which ever brand that met their preference but one day began to question the rationale for offering multiple brands.
The Elizade founder noted that one day, he reasoned that more successes could be recorded by focussing on one brand and selling that one brand like his life depends on it. He disclosed that out of all the brands, the reason why he chose Toyota was because it was cheaper than the rest.
He described the brand as compact cars that deliver good performance in comparison with the vehicles from the US and Europe that were bulky, consuming too much petrol. Therefore, convincing the customer to buy Toyota was a difficult task.
He pointed out that it was difficult because Toyota was new and unknown to most customers. However, the price was temptingly low and the engine sound was welcoming unlike the coughing models around that time.
The septuagenarian recalled how Toyota started many years ago making cars that are affordable and cheaper than the rest but without sacrificing good performance, and promised that the debutant JAC models will be the diamond in the rough that Toyota was over 40 years ago. “It would appear history is about to repeat itself and this time through JAC.” He stated.
In opening the JAC outlet for business, Mike Ade.Ojo said, he can only be nothing but excited about the future prospects of JAC as we work together to remove the rough and etch the diamond until it is perfected, and the brilliance is there for all to see and this is to the delight and satisfaction of the motoring public and Elizade Autoland customers.
Having a solid reputation for the Elizade brand over the past 45 years, it had led to its corporate mantra as a recognise, respected, and trusted to always deliver. With this in mind, Ade Ojo noted, “We carefully evaluated the JAC brand. We examined the performance, ruggedness and durability of these vehicles for over two years because we wanted to satisfy our conscience that the brand can indeed perform up to the level of expectation of what customers knows us for.”
The chairman of many successful conglomerates that spans across many business interests in closing his key note address assured Nigerians that the JAC journey into Nigeria is one that Elizade Autoland intended to see to the very end.
“The end being when the JAC brand is ranked at the top alongside with brands like Toyota. This will indeed be for us and for the Nigerian market a great success story, a story where David and Goliath can become friends instead of enemies.” He concluded.
MIKE OCHONMA