A subsidiary of Mikano International Limited, Mikano Motors, is set to roll out Autogas vehicles and electric cars in Nigeria. The Company acquired the sole franchise of the Geely auto brand in Nigeria and signed an exclusive partnership with the Chinese manufacturer in October 2020.
In a statement to a Nigerian newspaper, The Punch, the General Manager of Mikano Motors, Ali Salman, said that the company is seeking for legislation that will protect local assemblers against importation.
Mikano has launched the “Geely EC7 Sedan” and “Geely X7 Crossover” into the Nigerian automotive market. Salman said that the local assemblage of the Geely brand is to help the nation in job creation. He noted that the Nigerian Geely brand is different from the former Geely Cars that Nigerians know.
The Geely EC7 is now on sale in Nigeria. Some of the features include a seatbelt reminder, an over speeding alarm device, an anti-theft alarm device, a hand brake unreleased reminder, an explosion-proof leakproof plastic fuel tank etc.
The Geely X7, a crossover, is powered by a naturally-aspirated 2.4-litre engine, which puts out 150 brake horsepower, bhp at 5,300 revolutions per minute, rpm and some 225 Newton meters.
In the words of the Ali Salman:
“The Nigerian auto industry shall effectively compete in the entire African automobile market if the right policies are made by the government.”
“Although Mikano has always been known as a service provider in many aspects, including power, steel and medical, our decision to invest in the automotive sector was motivated by our belief that Nigeria deserved a better transportation experience, rather than being a dumping area for second-hand cars with no history, no warranty and no spare parts.”
“Therefore, we chose to assemble and ultimately manufacture a top-quality automotive brand to create jobs for the youths, help stimulate the nation’s economy and further support Nigerian families with most comfortable and affordable means of transportation.”
“This current Geely auto brand is a meeting point for the latest automobile technology and modern science.”
“Already, we have 3s (showroom, service centre and spare parts) and 2s (showroom and service centre) locations all over Nigeria. The centres are equipped with modern tools to ensure effective after-sales services to our customers.”
“Through our appointed dealership across the country, Geely automobile brand’s spare parts are now available nationwide. While we are still appointing more dealers to ensure that our parts are available to every location in Nigeria, we are making servicing parts available via various accredited channels to avoid the incident of fake parts.”