By Theodore Opara

TOYOTA’s dependability and reliability was highlighted at a recent event by Uber in Lagos where it was disclosed that more than 70 per cent of vehicles in Uber fleet in Nigeria are Toyota brand.

The event was to mark the beginning of partnership between Uber and Germaine Auto Centre on vehicle maintenance for Uber operations.

Managing Director of Germaine Auto Centre, Mr. Gbenga Omolokun, explained that more than 70 per cent of vehicle operating on Uber fleet are Toyota models. Uber officials at the event stated that before any vehicle could be allowed to operate under their scheme, such a vehicle must pass the necessary tests to ascertain its roadworthiness and Toyota vehicles were always scaling through the tests.

*Toyota Hybrid

This, they said, must have informed Toyota’s dominance of Uber fleet in Nigeria. The Uber officials also stated that their goal was to ensure that they make their services more reliable and affordable in Nigeria.

According to the Germaine boss, whose company is one of the accredited dealers of Toyota Nigeria Limited, one out of every four cars on Nigerian road is a Toyota. Supporting the managing director’s remark, the Executive Director of Germaine Auto Centre, Mr. Vincent Nze, pointed out that reliability and dependability are some of the strong points of Toyota models.

According to him, 80 per cent of Toyota vehicles sold in the last 10 years are still running on Nigeria roads. This goes a long way to prove that Toyota quality cannot be compared with others. Toyota, according to him, has a simple technology and can easily be maintained.

The parts are easily available while a lot technicians understand the Toyota technology too. Though Toyota could be slightly costlier to acquire but the resale value is an advantage even many years after purchase.