‘Ford has faith in Nigeria’s auto policy’

Last week, Jacques Brent, Ford Motor Company’s President superintending Middle East & Africa business unit was in Nigeria for the first time at the unveiling of the new Ford Edge by Coscharis Motors in Lagos. Shortly after the event, he fielded questions from some motoring journalists led by BusinessDay. While the chat lasted, he discussed germane industry issues, including efforts by the organisation to grow its operational profile in the country, support government automotive industry development plan and the impact of recession on the auto industry.

What is your impression about the Ford market in Nigeria?

I really understand the situation of the Nigeria economy. I am also seeing the impact on the whole industry. The market is down 65 per cent. That is very challenging considering the high cost of money and rising inflation.

But the good news is that Coscharis, our partner in Nigeria is  continuously  looking  at the brand and has invested highly in terms of dealerships, looking after the existing customers, providing service and has continued to train technicians. These make me feel that we have the right partner to make sure that we grow the Ford brand in the market. I have no doubt that the market would be challenged. And I believe that the customers that we have now and others that we will have in the future will see the value and continue to buy the vehicles.

You are visiting Nigeria at a period when government is paying attention on local auto assembly, what is Ford’s position on this?

We were one of the first manufacturers that choose to get involved in terms of local assembly in Nigeria. This is a big opportunity in terms of the government policy on trying to diversify the economy.  This will also be very beneficial in terms of Job creation.

We believe that it is the right thing to do, to build our market here. Ford Ranger is our best-selling vehicle in Nigeria and we are looking at local assembly to bring more Rangers to the Nigerian market. We are fully committed to supporting the programme.

Will the local market expect more of Ford models into Nigeria?

Yes. We have been very keen on continuing to launch vehicles into this particular market. Though the market is challenged but by and large, Nigerian customers look forward to buying Ford models and we would continue to bring technology and vehicles into the market to support requirements from the customers’ perspective.

You mentioned Ford footprint in the market. How is the brand positioned as an automaker working to sustain this in Nigeria in terms of marketing and after-sales?

The most important thing about our footprint is that you must be accessible to your customers and Coscharis is making sure that, that is achieved.

One of the major questions I ask is- do we cover one of the top ten markets? The next thing is quick parts. The greatest opportunity of any manufacturer is to provide affordable and accessible parts and service.

Coscharis has done a great job in terms of our Quick Lane Service initiative and not even only Ford products, but other products are offered in particular outlets.

We know the top four Ford market in Africa— South Africa, Nigeria, Angola and Kenya, we are concerned about our own market. What is Nigeria’s ranking in terms of volume when it comes to Ford in Africa?

West Africa has a lot of products sourced from the left hand drive. Whilst the market is relatively small, we have seen a big market in Nigeria in the past and we expect to see a bigger market share in the country in the future. If you ask me, it ranks among the first four in Africa as its relates to Ford. We see a great opportunity in the Nigerian market going forward.