By Theodore Opara

ISUZU Motors International plans to increase its market share in Nigeria this year, its Deputy President and Executive Vice President, Hirokazu Maruyama, has said. He also said that the Japanese automaker would contribute to the growth of Nigeria’s economy through its unique technology.

He said Isuzu is strong in Nigeria in the commercial segment, such as light duty trucks and medium duty trucks, as well as diesel engines globally.

Maruyama, who spoke in Lagos, Wednesday, during a working visit to Nigeria, said: “The Nigerian auto market is unique. We feel it has a lot of prospects, and we want to stay here and be part of the development. We are here to promote new Japan-made diesel-engine trucks. This will help our customers’ businesses grow and reduce their operational costs and downtime. It will also be the contribution of Isuzu to the economy of this country.”

According to him, Nigeria, being the largest economy in Africa, with its large population, has a lot of opportunities for the auto business. He said, “In 2023, our target is to increase our share in the Nigerian market, more than what we did last year. We started promoting the 3s philosophy last year; we are continuing with that this year. The 3s stands for Sales, Service, and Spare parts.” In line with the directive of the Isuzu management, he said they had set up a team with the 3s to support its dealers’ operations. “We want them to be more service-oriented in order to assist the customers. We send our team out to meet with the customers’ needs.” He also said Isuzu would focus on local vehicle assembly through its partners in Nigeria, Koncept Autocentre, because of the huge benefits., stressing: “For us, local auto assembly is important. This will help develop the local industry quickly. Through this, we will have a lot of component and spare part suppliers in the local market. More employment opportunities will also be created, which will boost the national economy.”

Maruyama said the Isuzu team assisted its Nigerian partners to set up the assembly plant operation, adding, “We also asked the team to train some specialists that will continue to work at the plant for production. We provide an assembly manual that could be easily understood by the local workers.” Even as he expressed satisfaction with the performance of its representative in Nigeria, Koncept Autocentre (a subsidiary of Kewalram Chanrai Group), saying the firm did well last year, he stressed that it could do better this year, he noted, “Our management is determined to provide quality commercial vehicles to contribute to the world economy and help our customers businesses grow well; our strength in diesel-engine vehicles will contribute to economic growth and serve our customers needs immensely.”

The Executive Vice President, Vehicle Sales (Sub-Saharan Africa), Geoffrey Mulandi, speaking on Isuzu’s plans to increase its market share, said, “Our strategy is to get closer to our customers. This will enable us to hear their voices, and we will be able to address their needs. We have promotional activities that enable us to reach out to the customers and get to know them better.”

Managing Director-Auto, Kewalram Chanrai Group, Anil Sahgal, who contributed, spoke on what is unique about Isuzu products, saying, “At Isuzu, we want our products to speak for us. That is the reason that every day and night, they work on new product development to meet the customers needs. “We have products for customers needs, and they are designed with high quality, best performance, and efficiency. That is unique to us. People always say we are diesel-technology experts for the needs and efficiency of our customers. That is why Isuzu has maintained its leadership in this market”.