VW resumes local assembly operations in Nigeria
Stallion group has launched the first Nigeria assembled Volkswagen (VW) passenger & commercial vehicles using one of the VoN assembly lines at its automobile plant located along the Lagos-Badagry expressway, Lagos. This development follows the historic return of the global brand 20 years after the previous plant was moribund.
The conglomerate had entered into collaboration with the Volkswagen Group to assemble its vehicles in Nigeria, pursuant of the National Automotive Industrial Plan (NAIDP) announced by the Federal Government in October 2013. Stallion group is commencing assembly of VW’s models including Passat, Jetta, CC and Amarok models.
Stallion group is the preferred partner for an impressive portfolio of iconic global automobile brands and the Nigeria exclusive distributor for the VW brands including Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Porsche.
The VW Group with its headquarters in Wolfsburg is one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers and the largest carmaker in Europe. The Group operates 119 production plants in 20 European countries and a further eight countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa. The Volkswagen Group sells its vehicles in 153 countries.
Commenting on the launch, Sunil Vaswani Stallion’s chairman said: “This is a great moment for Stallion in partnering with a world leading global brand like Volkswagen. We are immensely pleased to bring back the proud legacy of Nigeria automotive industry – the Volkswagen brand that once was indigenously produced at the same premises.”
On plans for the automotive industry, Vaswani said: “Stallion in committed to investing and expanding its operations in the automotive value chain across multiple global brands and paving the way for Nigeria to establish itself as a regional leader in the automobile eco system.”
Stallion is already assembling Nissan, Hyundai, Ashok-Leyland and IVECO vehicles in Nigeria and has developed a large team of highly skilled human resources following extensive training by specialists from the respective principals.
Ratz Wolfgang, leader of the VW Group delegation from Germany said ‘’Today marks the revival of the assembly of VW vehicles in Nigeria has returned to Nigeria to continue a long history that began in the 1970s,” he recalled.
Wolfgang who is excited and optimistic about the future of VW in Nigeria remarked that “We are certain that further growth is possible, which is why it is constantly searching for new opportunities to increase global market and sales potential and we appreciate the fact that we are able to strengthen our business relationship with our professional partner Stallion.”
The Stallion Group, it would be recalled acquired the moribund Volkswagen of Nigeria plant and successfully resuscitated it and commenced assembly of buses, trucks, pick-ups and eventually passenger vehicles at the facility.
The launch of the VW vehicles is another major catalyst for the revival of Nigeria’s automotive industry, which could lead to the development of multiple ancillary industries and component manufacturers, apart from fostering engineering skill base in the country and generating employment.
A multinational conglomerate with a 45-year operating history in Nigeria and the sub Saharan markets, the Stallion Group is engaged in diversified industries including agriculture, commodities, automobile assembly, mining, steel manufacturing, packaging, technology and distribution.
MIKE OCHONMA