By Theodore Opara

The emergence of Kia Rio as Budget Car of the Year by the Nigeria Auto Journalists did not come as a surprise to many. Though the contest was between the Rio and the new Hyundai i10 Grand, the Rio carried the day for offering more at budget price. The Rio has in the last four edition of the Nigeria Auto Journalists Award been nominated for car of the year, but denied by the Toyota Siblings, Corolla ad Avensis.

Kia Motors Nigeria has been recognised for its zest to make new cars in Nigeria affordable to all and in recognition of this effort, its Kia Rio won the ‘Budget Car of the Year’ in the 2014 Nigeria Auto Journalist Award (NAJA). The company received the prestigious award at the 2014 NAJA Night held at Eko Hotel, Lagos.

The award is in appreciation and recognition of Kia’s efforts to make its model pocket friendly to her customers by offering an affordable cutting edge automotive technology to customers in the country. The company has through its cars, built trust with customers and the award is a testament to its exemplary achievement.

According to the Chief Commercial Officer, Kia Motors Nigeria, Mr. Sandeep Malhotra, “We are truly honoured to receive this award. It’s indeed a recognition of our commitment to continually provide quality and affordable cars to the Nigerian market. We pride ourselves in the delivery of the best automobile technology and will not rest on our oars in exceeding the expectations of our customers.

The NAJA Awards instituted by the Guild of Motoring Journalists in Nigeria is the most credible auto award in Nigeria and is in its fourth edition. It is held to honour players in the automobile industry. Speaking at the event, a member of the organizing committee, Mr. Theodore Opara said the award is a recognition of hard work, resilience and determination of the auto companies in the industry. He further explained that the awards are as a result of objective analysis of the auto market trend and the evaluation by the stake holders on the performance of auto companies in the country. Hence, the awards are borne out of the desire for auto journalists to encourage the auto companies.