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By Moses Akaigwe
There are indications that GeelyNigeria, the exclusive partnership between Mikano International and Geely Autos, plans to ‘unleash’ a brand new luxury SUV to follow the success trail blazed by the impressive Coolray.
Since commencing operations in Nigeria, the global auto giant has had an exemplary run towards establishing itself as one of the fastest growing auto brands in the country.
In February, Geely Global reported an impressive 78,478 sales volume worldwide, a clear boost for the brand in Nigeria. Shortly before this, in 2021, it was announced that Geely was the only Asian automaker to join the International Automotive Task Force, (IATF), mingling with other members such as BMW Group, Volkswagen AG and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Limited, to name a few.
Leveraging on Mikano International’s formidable legacy, Mikano Motors launched GeelyNigeria with the introduction of the X7Sport and Emgrand7 models – recording laudable success with the vehicles in the local market.
This was quickly followed by the launch of the Coolray compact SUV, which won the “Best Compact SUV- Design and Technology 2021” award presented by the Nigerian Auto Journalists Association (NAJA).
Auto market watchers believe that if the success story of Geely’s drive into the Nigerian market so far is anything to go by, Mikano Motors- GeelyNigeria, is likely to, once again cause ripples in the SUV segment with the arrival of the new kid on the block which has already been described as “an innovative, game- changing addition.”
The new entrant is said to be a C- segment, hybrid SUV, which is endowed with the luxury, technology and safety that Geely is popular for. This SUV like the Coolray before it, was co-developed with Volvo Autos, which Geely took ownership of in 2010.
