Michael Ade-Ojo, chairman of Toyota Nigeria Limited, has assured that the first set of Nigeria-assembled Toyota cars will be rolled out in a short time to come. He revealed at the unveiling of an automobile assembling plant dedicated to the production of Toyota and JAC, with a target of 15,000 vehicles yearly. “The semi-knocked down parts have yet to come; but in a few months’ time, they’ll arrive here in Lagos and we’ll invite guests to come and be part of history, to witness the unveiling of locally-assembled Toyota cars,” Ade-Ojo said.
The JAC division has produced the first set of 10 vehicles; Elizade Autoland Limited, a subsidiary of Elizade Nigeria Limited, owned by Ade-Ojo, has the franchise for the JAC brand of vehicles.
Ade-Ojo described JAC as a “junior brother of Toyota in Nigeria and it is growing.” Demola Ade-Ojo, managing director of Elizade Nigeria, said the plan is to produce 20 JAC vehicles every month, starting with the SKD stage and moving to the completely-knocked down section when it is able to source enough components locally. The plant currently operates one shift after certification by the federal government to build different brands of cars.
However, the production of Toyota cars is yet to commence. Toyota Nigeria showcased its first locally assembled bus, Hiace, after embracing the auto policy introduced in 2013 by the federal government to encourage local production of vehicles. About 30 automakers have been given approval by the federal government to establish vehicle assembly plants in Nigeria, even quite a number of them are yet to make any significant move.