By Thedore Opara

FIVE authorised Mercedes-Benz dealers in Nigeria, Barbedos Cars Ltd, M-B Automobile Services Ltd, Skymit Motors Ltd, Sunny Motors Ltd and Tetralog Nigeria Ltd have been described as the brand’s lifeblood in the country.

Weststar Associates, an authorised general distributor of Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Nigeria, was reacting to a statement by Mercedes-Benz of Germany of its plan to reduce its dealerships in some markets. The company said it remained committed to the dealers and will continue to do business with them.

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In reacting to the statement, Westar’s Marketing & Social Media Manager, Oluwatobi Abimbola, said the company had been the “home of all things Mercedes-Benz in Nigeria for over 15 years. Running its operations as Mercedes-Benz’s representatives in Nigeria the company owes its success not only to a holistic business model and a great team of professionals but also more importantly, to its business partners.”

He added: “Weststar Associates Limited runs a dealership network across Nigeria that covers the different regions of the country and is held by successful and innovative companies who have a strong understanding of the business climate in their regions. Although the story of Weststar in Nigeria is only a decade and a half old, the story of Mercedes-Benz runs for even longer, with a presence in Nigeria for over 60 years. Many of our dealers have become the lifeblood of Mercedes-Benz in Nigeria.

“For decades, these companies have ensured that millions of Nigerians are able to gain access to the world’s most desirable Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Weststar’s key strategy remains to grow the Mercedes-Benz network in Nigeria using our dealerships. Weststar does not intend to cut ties with any of its authorised Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Nigeria at this time. We will continue to promote and strengthen our dealerships as a means to grow the Mercedes-Benz brand in Nigeria.”

With the dealerships, Mercedes has one of the best coverage in the country with Barbedos covering the North, Tetralog for the South East and South South, while M-B Automobile, Sunny Motors and Skymit are in charge of the West, covering Lagos and neighbouring states.