By Theodore Opara

THE American auto brands are gradually bouncing back into the Nigerian market, having lost their leading position to the European and Japanese brands many years ago.

There was a time when the American brands were the most sought after in the country with their bulky models from makers like Ford, Chevrolet, Cadilac, Mercury Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge etc before their popularity went down for some reasons which included; high fuel consumption, poor designs, high pricing etc.

But today, the American auto brands are beginning to recover their lost glory in the Nigerian market with their latest models, which apart from being economical with fuel, are quite trendy with advanced technology.

The American automakers seem  to have learnt from their past mistakes of making bogus and fuel guzzling machines and have come up with portable cars with high fuel economy, while at the same time reflecting the typical American high taste. This development is beginning to win as many as possible converts to the American brand going by the Nigerian vehicle import statistics in 2011.

The Ford brand has consistently shown very great improvement in the Nigerian market in the last three years with import figures on the rise on yearly basis. From mere 900 units imported in 2009, Ford ended the year 2010 and 2011 with 1730 and 2653 imports respectively.  It’s Ranger pickup has remained a big threat to the Toyota Hilux dominated1 ton pickup truck market segment.

one of the American brands

The Ranger, apart from having a good design, delivers good performance on and off road. Though Ford has not been able to replicate this performance in the sedan segment in Nigeria, its Sports Utility Vehicles like the Escape, Explorer, and Everest have the potentials to corner good chunk of the SUV market segment in Nigeria.

Apart from Ford, the Isuzu and Chevrolet models seem to have woken up from slumber. Isuzu, having ended the year 2010 with the import of only four vehicles, bounced back in 2011 with 226 vehicles import.

The same goes for Chevrolet, which ended the year 2011 with almost 1000 vehicle when compared to about 520 vehicles imported  in 2010. Though Chevrolet is not into commercial vehicle segment, its sedans like the Aveo, Spark, Optra, Epica and Cruze are gradually finding their way into the hearts of many Nigerians.

With these American models stamping their feet on the Nigerian market, the Chrysler led brand like Jeep and Dodge have decided to take the market by storm, churning out world class models. The Jeep models which are already making waves in the market include the Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, Compass and Patriot, which were introduced into the market alongside the Dodge Durango by Weststar Associates Limited.

These vehicles come with whole lot of improvements which have brought them at per with the Japanese and top European models but with a price advantage.

Apart from this, the Jeep and Durango models are finished in typical America standard with quality leather interior, premium music sets, safety features, and high comfort amenities. With beautiful designs and well finished interiors, these American brands boast very powerful engine and fuel economy. These are qualities that most Nigerians have not discovered about the new generation American models.

Perhaps, it will be a matter of time for Nigerians to discover the hidden qualities of the new generation American models just like it took them time to realise the qualities of Japanese brands like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi etc in the ’70s when the European models like Peugeot, Renault, Opel, Mercedes-Benz, Volkwagen etc ruled the market.

From all indications, the strong showing by the American brands in the country coupled with the improved quality of the Korean brand will make the market more.