By Moses Akaigwe
Apart from the variants of heavy duty trucks it displayed while the recent 16th Lagos Motor Fair and Autoparts Expo lasted, one other thing that excited visitors to the Coscharis Motors Plc stand was the good news that the vehicles representing the Ford Trucks range have found a home in the Nigerian market.
The Ford Trucks brand, the Coscharis Motors marketing team at the fair informed fair visitors, has found a comfortable home in the Heavy Duty Commercial Vehicle (HDCV) sector of Nigeria’s automobile sector and the economy as a whole.
Presenting the products to guests at a ceremony durinng the fair, Abiona Babarinde, General Manager, Marketing and Communications, Coscharis Group, explained that Ford Trucks’ mission in Nigeria is to help fill identified logistics gaps in the areas of long and short distance haulage, construction, mines,refuse disposal, etc.
Babarinde remarked: “Since the formal introduction of Ford Trucks into the market at last year’s edition of the Lagos Motor Fair, the brand has been making remarkable inroads into the Nigerian HDVC market.
“In order to help our customers keep their Ford Trucks on the road, Coscharis has invested heavily on after-sales facilities with original equipment manufacturers, OEM-trained technicians, original parts and OEM-recommended equipment. This is to show that the brand has truly come to stay in Nigeria.”
To further attest to the fact that Ford Trucks has found home in Nigeria, Babarinde said that Coscharis Motoris almost ready with its ultra-modern sales and aftersales facility for the brand at Ikeja, Lagos.
Babarinde said, “Coscharis Motors has invested heavily on an ultra-modern sales and aftersales facility for Ford Trucks products, which is being set up in Ikejaand will soon be launched, to add zest to our product and service offerings to our esteemedFord Trucks customers.”
Also speaking at the event, Helyn Osandu, General Manager, Sales, Ford Trucks, Coscharis Motors said, “We wish to remind our valued customers that purchasing a Ford Trucks product need not be a herculean task, as Coscharis Motors has arranged flexible finance schemes through Coscharis Mobility and a number of other financial institutions, whereby customers can purchase the trucks with equity contributions as low as 30% of the price of the trucks, while the balance is spread over a period of time.”
Some of the dignitaries present at the presentation of the Ford Trucks, including the Director R&D, National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, Dr. Fidelis Achiv, also expressed delight at the trucks on display.
The NADDC Director, said: “The trucks look strong and rugged. However, the NADDC is more interested in seeing the trucks fully assembled in Nigeria to deliver transfer of technology and job creation, among other values. Our doors are wide open to Coscharis Motors and all other local assemblers, to give them all the necessary support required to make this happen.”
Coscharis Motors featured two products from the construction series, namely, tipper and concrete mixer; and one from the tractor series, the tractor head.
Ford Trucks has about 60 years of experience in truck manufacturing and product development for international markets.
Felix Mahan, Brand Manager, Ford Trucks, Coscharis Motors said the auto maker disclosed that specifications for the Ford trucks available in Nigeria are: 4×2, 6×4 and 8×4 construction, as well as tractor series, powered by a powerful Ecotorq 12.7 Lautomatic transmission engine, producing up to 2150 Nm of torque and up to 430 PS power, among other features.