By Theodore Opara

The Managing Director of Stallion Auto Keke Limited, Mr. Manish Rohtagi, has said that the alliance between Stallion Group, a leading conglomerate in the country, and Bajaj Auto will go a long way in empowering Nigerians.

Rohtagi, announcing the partnership recently in Lagos, said: “Bajaj Auto is a world leader in the intra-city vehicle space. Loved in 70 countries, the brand stands for integrity, dedication, resourcefulness and determination to succeed and empower.

“With similar brand ethos, we believe that this alliance will go a long way in empowering Nigerians to be self-reliant and improve the interest of the stakeholders, be it employees, dealers, distributors, vendors, mechanics, unions, logistic operators or bankers.”

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He described Bajaj as a dominant tricycle brand across the globe with over 70 percent market share in countries like India, Argentina, Columbia and other Asian and Latin American countries, adding that Nigeria will be part of Bajaj success story.

“I foresee Bajaj has potentials for growth in the Nigerian market and become a market leader in a matter of time,” Rohtagi stated.

Part of the plans to make the Bajaj brand a market leader in the country, according to the Managing Director, is to use the Stallion Group after-sales backing to ensure that customers get the best in this respect.

“The after-sales and spare parts availability has been the backbone of the Stallion Group brand like Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Changan, Asok Layland, KYC, Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche.

“To us, service is one of the core strengths and the investment in the state of the art sales and service facilities to support the typical requirement justifies the commitment towards our customers,” he stated.

He explained that the company has well established processes, which are laid down by Bajaj Auto based on requirements, adding that they have a dedicated network of service and spare parts which will be handed by highly-trained engineers and technicians as highest level of craftsmanship is what is exhibited by the team.

Speaking on the estimated number of tricycles in the country, Rophtagi said: “Due the lack of formal accredited market information entity, it’s difficult to estimate the actual market size.

“But based on the data for importation, it should be around 150,000 per year. There are about 400,000 tricycles (Keke) on Nigerian roads and there is potential of two million tricycles in the country.

“The 3W market in Nigeria has high potential for growth as it serves two fundamental needs: that of intra-city commute in the lack of available options for public transport and employment generation.

“The mode of commute is fuel efficient and least polluting in comparison to any tokunbo public carrier. With government’s support, Bajaj can also provide LPG and CNG options in the future.

“Stallion can bring it into the country. We are confident that, with the help of policy makers, we can make public transportation more affordable and cleaner.

“Even if we estimate around 10 Keke per 1,000 Nigerians, there is a potential to have 200,000 tricycles on the roads that can provide affordable transportation to this country. The policymakers should focus on greener transportation system.”

On the qualities of Bajaj products, he said: “Bajaj Keke is known for its durability, speed and maneuverability.

“We have actively sought customer feedback to drive innovation and product and service improvement. With Stallion we run a very de-centralised operation with quicker decision making, which will help drive our operating efficiency.

“The RE-Keke and the load carrier category, called Maxima Cargo, is expected to grow at a much faster rate as Stallion will actively push for the adoption of cargo tricycles by existing partner and customer ecosystem.

“Bajaj is the pioneer brand of tricycles in Nigeria, loved by millions across the country and partnership with Stallion further adds to the strength.”

VANGUARD