There are strong indications that auto dealers at the popular ‘national’ premises at the Tin Can Island port complex may resume business once again before the end of the month.
This development came last week as the premises that once accommodate Conoil filling station and the fairly-used vehicles market have been refurbished and opened to vehicles and pedestrians.
Investigation by Shipping Position Daily revealed that business has already commenced at the filling station as vehicles now purchase fuel from the premises even as naval officials and auto dealers were going about their normal activities on the spot.
In order to checkmate importation of new and used buses into the country’s automobile market, the newly inaugurated implementation committee for mass transit scheme has been urged to leverage on the opportunity to encourage local bus manufacturing in the country.
The Minister of Trade and Investment Olusegun Aganga gave the directive while inaugurating the committee in Abuja, last week.
The Committee which has Aganga as its Chairman will report to the Vice-President, Namadi Sambo on a monthly basis.
Honda Japan has said that a total of 50,000 units of its brands were sold in Nigeria for the 2011. According to our source, Nigeria is the most pulsating market in Africa but the company recorded a low performance last year.
The source said that ‘’African market was not vibrant last year, with the company managing to sell only 50,000 units, with Nigeria being the biggest consumer in Africa.
He blamed poor performance in Africa on delays in terms of sales network and lack of a specific product designed for the African market’’.
Honda Japan has said that a total of 50,000 units of its brands were sold in Nigeria for the 2011. According to our source, Nigeria is the most pulsating market in Africa but the company recorded a low performance last year.
The source said that ‘’African market was not vibrant last year, with the company managing to sell only 50,000 units, with Nigeria being the biggest consumer in Africa.
He blamed poor performance in Africa on delays in terms of sales network and lack of a specific product designed for the African market’’.
As parts of its expansion in the automobile industry, Saic Motor Corporation Limited has imported a total of 22 units of brand new salon cars into the country.
This is the third time that the made- in China brands are being imported into the country and sufficient awareness is yet to be created by the relatively unknown company.
The vehicles arrived at the country on the 24th of January on board a vessel called Morning Cello V 40 from the People’s Republic China. The M.G brands are two, and both brands were spotted at the terminal of Five Star Logistics; there is M.G 750 and M.G 3 which is a replica of a Toyota Camry 2005 model.
SAIC Motor Corporation Limited (SAIC) Chairman Hu Maoyuan and General Motors Co. (GM) Chairman and CEO Daniel Akerson signed an agreement in Shanghai for the co-development of new electric vehicle architectur about two years ago in China.
The rise in the global auto trade is lifting the car carrier industry out of the global recession with far less damage than other shipping sectors have experienced, according Drewry’s Car Carriers report.
Global trade in motor vehicles will increase by about 3-4 percent per year over the next 15 years, while the small number of orders for car carriers will enable the sector to avoid the kind of double-dip that other sectors are experiencing, the report says.
The 2008-2009 downturn hurt the car-carrying lines, as capacity utilization of their fleets fell significantly. Operators are now less likely to charter tonnage for long periods, instead placing an emphasis on full employment of owned tonnage.
The construction of a modern auto-mart for auto dealers in Akure by the Governor Olusegun Mimiko administration at a cost of N350m has returned sanity in the automobile business in the sunshine state.
Residents of Akure, have heaved a sigh of relief recently when the state government relocated all the automobile dealers in the metropolis to the newly constructed auto mart located on the Akure-Owo bye-pass.
Many people had believed that idea of constructing an auto mart in a special location for all auto dealers was impossible, however, the story is different as the state-of-the-art massive structure is not only functional but also being patronized by buyers from all over the country.
Following the recent increase in their demand in the auto market, there are indications that the importation of fairly used buses into the country may soon increase.
Auto dealers and importers who spoke with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week have said that the demand of buses by customers have increased tremendously compared to cars, they have also attributed the demand to the economic situation of the country.
According to them, customers now prefer to go for buses because they can use it for profit- making purposes instead of luxury and comfort in the case of private vehicles.
Few weeks after about 165 units of mass transit buses were imported by President Goodluck Jonathan from Yutong, the People’s Republic of China, to cushion the effect of oil subsidy removal, a total of 15 units of the vehicles have been distributed to Kwara state to commence operation.
According to reports, 10 out of the 15 vehicles will be plying some identified strategic routes within Ilorin metropolis at affordable rates.
Off dock vehicular terminal operator, Clarion Bonded terminal says it successfully handled a total of 15,421 units of vehicles from January to December of 2011.
Statistics obtained by Shipping Position Daily from the company in Lagos last week shows that in the first quarter of 2011, a total of 4,606 units of vehicles made it to the terminal.
For the month of January alone, the terminal which receives most of its vehicles from the Five Star Logistics Terminal in Lagos as a result of a standing business partnership; handled a total of 3,205 units of vehicles while February recorded 259 units. In the month of March, a total of 1142 units of vehicles made it to the terminal.
The vehicles that are located at the bonded terminal were been transferred from the Tin Can Island Port via the five Star Logistics terminal which is a Roll On Roll Off terminal designed for vehicular importation .
Weeks after the closure of the Tin can Island Motor Park by the Nigeria Port Authority as a means of sanitizing the port, auto dealers at the premises of the Conoil filling station at the second gate of the Tin Can Island Port may commence business activities soon.
This was revealed to Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week by a source who is equally a dealer of fairly used vehicles at the park.
The source who prefers anonymity said that the only problem they are facing at the moment is the rent of the premises that is still accruable to the Nigeria Port Authority [NPA] by the occupants of the place.
Despite the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government of Nigeria, Auto dealers in some part of Lagos have said that the price of fairly used vehicles commonly called ‘tokunbo’ remained the same as it were in 2011.
According to them, the Christmas and New Year celebration did not put smiles on their faces hitherto the removal of the subsidy removal.
Speaking with some of the dealers in Lagos last week, one of the major dealers at the popular freedom park in Mile 2, Mr. Evans Ukaonu, explained that the prices of vehicles are still the same and that the subsidy removal has nothing to do with the business at the moment.
In other to further expand its fleet of trucks transporting finished and unfinished goods in the country, the Dangote Group has imported yet another 150 units of trucks, bringing the total number so far imported from year 2011 till date to 1,653 units.
The vehicles have been coming into the Tin Can Island ports in Lagos in batches and the present sets of vehicles came with the fourth batch.
The trucks which are commonly referred to as ‘trailer heads’ were customized for Dangote by a Chinese company known as Howo Sinotruk.
The vehicles were imported into the country from the People’s Republic of China via a vessel called ‘Graceful Leader’ which sailed into the five Star Logistics terminal at the Tin Can Island port in Lagos last week Monday, the 16th of January 2012.
Despite the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government of Nigeria, auto dealers in some part of Lagos have said that the price of fairly used vehicles commonly called ‘Tokunboh’ remained the same as it was in 2011.
According to them, the Christmas and New Year celebrations did not put smiles on their faces before the removal of subsidy.
Speaking with some of the dealers in Lagos last week, one of the major dealers at the popular freedom park in Mile 2, Mr. Evans Ukaonu, explained that the prices of vehicles are still the same and that the subsidy removal has nothing to do with the business at the moment.
The federal government of Nigeria has said that a total of 1,600 units of diesel vehicles are set to be imported into the country to boost transportation in the country and at the same time cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.
The Federal Executive Council chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan said it has concluded arrangements to take delivery of 1,600 units this week as part of the long term plans to reduce the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy.
The buses to arrived the country are the first batch purchased from the N10 billion revolving loan set aside by the government to address transport infrastructure in the country.
Even as the sales of Tokunboh vehicle are not as profitable this year, Toyota Camry has been crowned the most sought- after car for 2011 by auto dealers and importers of fairly- used vehicles in Lagos.
The brand was adjudged the most sold, based on a survey conducted by Auto Port Weekly since the beginning of December, even as responses from of cross section of dealers and importers of Tokunboh vehicles commended the 2011 sales figures of the vehicle which has 1999 model to 2006 models.
Following the recent raid of fairly- used vehicles from the Tin Can Island port by a combined team of Naval personnel under the aegis of Lagos Port Access Road Committee [LAPARC] ,Auto dealers that are occupants of the premises have expressed mixed feeling over their removal.
It is obvious that the hopes of coming back to the port to continue with the sales of vehicles is very slim as the directive given by the minister of transport through the Nigerian Port Authority [NPA], in order to reduce the influx of people in to the port has come to stay.
Importation of new vehicles into Nigeria jumped by 45 per cent in the first 11 months of 2011 compared with the same period last year, as credit flows recovered after the banking sector reforms, vehicle importers said last week.
According to Reuters, car sales in the country’s economy are a proxy measure for private purchasing power, a leading economic indicator that is not formally available in Nigeria.
An automobile engineer, Samuel Nduka has advised importers that are into the importation of fairly used vehicles into Nigeria to check critically for the condition of Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) commonly known as 'air bag' before buying a vehicle.
According to him, weak air bags in fairly used vehicles coming into Nigeria is responsible for most deaths that occures as a result of auto crashes.
5 Questions You Must Ask Before You Buy
Experts have advised that buying of vehicle for the first time requires a lot in terms of selection. It is a known fact that some first time buyers of fairly used vehicles are novice about what is takes to get a good vehicle that will last longer even as it called fairly used or tokunboh as the case may be. Where are some of the guidelines that can help first time buyer on the right track in order not to make the wrong selection when buying that choice of brand.
Following the recent raid of fairly -used tyres at the ever busy Ladipo market at the Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State by the Standard Organization of Nigeria, importers and dealers have lamented the seizures, saying it is a total loss to their business.
The Standard Organization of Nigeria reportedly stormed the auto spare parts market with armed policemen and seized 20 trucks loaded with fairly used tyres.
Barely one year after a total of forty units of the Bus Rapid Transit buses commonly known as BRT were deployed to run between Cele and Ikotun axis of Lagos, there are indications to the fact that the buses may not last long as a large number of them are already in a terrible state as a result of the bad roads and other human factors.
Investigations carried out last week by Auto Port Weekly revealed that compared to other parts of Lagos State where these buses are also working, the BRT buses operating in Ikotun are already in a bad shape while four out of the forty buses are currently undergoing repairs.
There are degrees of damage made to most of the vehicles as the interior as well as the body parts is gradually losing it shape as a result of little or no maintenance on the part of the concessionaires.
Driving a car for the first time is not a joke, this is simply because the risk involved is very high compared to when you are used to it. It is very important to put some certain facts into consideration before making the move to handle the steering, Auto Port Weekly brings out some of the basic tips that can serve as a guideline and safety tips for those driving for the first time.
As the Christmas and New Year festival approach, auto dealers along the Apapa- Oshodi expressway in Lagos have challenged the attitude of agents otherwise known as middlemen at the various auto sales parks.
In recent times, auto dealers at the popular Berger auto market and Freedom Park Motor dealers have lamented what they called the harsh attitude of the middlemen in the course of bringing customers to their car stands.
Some of the dealers in Freedom Park frowned at the latest development by the middlemen who basically source for clients for the dealers and therefore demand for either commission or percentage from the original auto dealer.
There is a huge decline of volumes of imported used cars arriving at Beitbridge Border Post as large stocks that dealers had ordered ahead of the October 31, 2011 deadline prohibiting the importation of vehicles over five years are already in the country.
Although the profit margin put on these vehicles is relatively small, players in the motor trade business predicted vehicle prices to come down soon.
Before the suspension, there was stampede at the border with dealers rushing to beat the deadline. Government had set October 31 as the deadline before it rescinded and lifted the ban.
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