Moses Ebosele, ebosele@hotmail.com —
Amidst pomp and pageantry, the world’s largest manufacturer of 3-wheelers, Bajaj Auto on Wednesday in Nigeria unveiled the most superior keke ever seen in Nigeria, the RE 250 along with their exclusive 3- wheeler distributor Stallion Group.
The RE 250 was unveiled by superstar footballer, Jay Jay Okocha in the presence of over 100 keke dealers & other prominent members at an event held in at the prestigious Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos State.
The launch of the Superkeke, themed, “Bigger Heart, Stronger Body” marked the brand’s association with the fabled football star and the company’s desire to provide a better, stronger and more reliable keke for the Nigerian people.
In a video message, Vice Chairman of Stallion Group, Dr Haresh Vaswani pledged the commitment of the group to quality products.
Also in a video message, Director-General, Nigeria Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Dr Jelili Aliyu onbehalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria pledged adewuate support for Stallion Group and its development agenda.
The Bajaj brand ambassador, Jay Jay Okocha, who also spoke about his new brand association explained that “brand’s strong legacy and continuous efforts to offer best in class products to Nigerians has inspired me to associate myself with the brand”.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr Shaleen Nayak, Vice-President, West Africa, Bajaj Auto said, “Nigeria is one of the most important 3W markets in the world and we have specially designed this vehicle for Nigeria. For instance, we have always felt that a keke rider in Nigeria requires a bigger, more powerful engine because of the tough road conditions. The addition of front fork can greatly ease shoulder pain for the rider after a long hard day of work. We are delighted to launch the RE250 for our Nigerian keke riders and we believe the RE250 will help riders & fleet owners prosper in their life.”
Mr Manish Rohtagi, Group CEO, Stallion said, “The RE250 Superkeke is a truly innovative and powerful product for the Nigerian roads. The company through its superior product and sharp service offerings and welfare initiatives will establish and forge long term partnership with the channel ecosystem and customers across Nigeria. Through these fulfilment partners we envisage providing employment opportunity to 5 million Nigerians directly and indirectly over the next 5 years.”
Ms. Helen Omojola, Muboj G.K Enterprises dealer from Lagos, added “This is exactly the vehicle which the market was crying out for and I am thankful that Bajaj Auto has listened to the demands of the keke riders and given us such a great product. I am very excited to start selling the RE250 here.
The Bajaj RE 250 distinctly stands out because of a host of class leading features. The vehicle is powered by a 236cc DTSi engine, the biggest engine to ever come in a keke. Company officials have highlighted that this engine has been running successfully in more than 20 countries across the globe. The vehicle boasts many first-in-class features like front fork, CV shaft, bigger 10” tyres, clear headlamps, remote controlled MP3 player, to name a few. Bajaj Auto has also upped the style quotient of the vehicle through a rear spoiler and a transparent passenger hood.
The company aims to achieve a dominant position in the Nigerian market through the RE250 and has launched the vehicle at a competitive price of 800,000 Naira. The Bajaj RE 250 Kekes are available from November 11, 2020 at all dealer outlets nationwide and will be showcased in 30 cities around the country from November 12, 2020 with a host of market connect activities on the superkeke with special appearances of Jay Jay Okoch
