By Moses Akaigwe
Emboldened by the success recorded in the global market in 2023, the Chinese carmaker, Changan Automobile, has announced that its expects sales this year to reach 2.8 million units, up 9.7 percent year-on-year.
The state-owned carmaker unveiled the sales target at the recent 2024 Changan Auto Global Partnership Conference.
It had seen sales grow steadily over the past years, from 2 million units in 2020 to 2.55 million units last year, bolstered by its NEV {new energy vehicles} sales at home, as well as overseas performance, including Nigeria where Changan appointed a new partner, Mikano Motors.
Of the 2024 target, NEV sales are estimated to reach 750,000 units, up 55.9 percent year-on-year, and overseas sales will hit 480,000 units, up 33.2 percent year-on-year.
The two segments, which are main pillars of the carmaker’s growth blueprint, are expected to drive its total sales further in 2025 to reach between 3.5 million units to 4 million units, recording a growth rate of 32 percent to 51 percent from 2024.
The carmaker said the two years from 2024 to 2025 will prove to be “a period of major opportunities”.
They will lay the foundation for Changan’s goal to join the ranks of the world’s first-class carmakers by 2030, in which year it expects global sales to reach 5 million units.
The carmaker also offered some details about its partnership with Huawei, a Chinese technology giant.
The two companies’ joint venture, which is currently known as Newcool, will engage in business in seven major aspects ranging from smart cabins to autonomous driving.
In January, Changan Automobile had reported an annual sales volume of 2,553,052 vehicles in 2023, representing an 8.82 percent rise year-on-year.
Throughout last year, 2,097,794 vehicles sold by Changan Automobile were under the automaker’s wholly-owned brands, growing 11.91 percent compared to the same period last year.
In the meantime, the company’s wholly-owned brands also boasted a 39.23 percent year-on-year spike in yearly overseas sales, which came in at 236,380 vehicles.
As to the annual performance of Changan’s self-owned NEV brands, a 74.77 percent year-on-year soar was achieved with a total of 474,045 vehicles sold.
In December, 2023, Nigeria’s fastest growing auto assembling and marketing company, Mikano Motors, formally announced its partnership with the popular Changan in the Nigerian auto market, with a razzle-dazzle ceremony that featured the display of some of the brand’s new models.
The spectacular ceremony featured the display of the alluring Changen CS 95, CS 55 Plus and CS35 Plus SUVs, as well as the drive-in of the driverless UNI-T, and UNI-K crossover SUV at Mikano Motors’ multi award-winning auto complex on Adeola-Odeku street, Victoria Island, Lagos.