Nissan confers Global Merit Award on Stallion NMN  

Stallion NMN, Nissan’s exclusive manufacturer and product distributor in Nigeria has received one of automaker’s highest honours called the “Nissan Global National Sales Company Award”. The award was presented to the company at a banquet in Lagos by representatives of the Japanese auto manufacturer.

The award is in recognition of exceptional performance in sales and market share achievement. Sources say Stallion NMN has consistently grown Nissan market share year-on-year, culminating in a significant leap from 4% to 10% in the 2014 financial year.

In his address, Mike Whitfield, managing director and president, Nissan South Africa Region applauded Stallion NMN for consistently elevating Nissan market share in Nigeria. He said: “We have worked side by side with the group to achieve what is a very encouraging increase in our share of the key local market and we are delighted all results show Nissan is making progress.”

Whitfield described Nigeria as a key market for Nissan with ambitious potential for growth despite the current slump in global oil price and dwindling economic trend. He assured the brand has strong desire to make a full and lasting contribution to rebuild the automotive industry in Nigeria, and play a significant role in the growth of the manufacturing sector.

Also adding that Africa has become an increasingly important market for all manufacturers, he envisions demand could rise by 24% through 2016 supported by an expanding GDP and a versatile middle-class that is central to a growing economy and mature political system.

Nissan he said is growing with Africa and believes the continent is well-positioned in the 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.

Meanwhile Nissan has announced plans to build a brand new pickup model at Rosslyn plant, starting in 2018 to increase its annual capacity to 80, 000 vehicles from 40, 000 and meet growing demand for new vehicles in Africa.

In his acknowledgement remarks, Sunil Vaswani, chairman, West African Conglomerate Stallion Group 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 the nation’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.