Maxus Autos has arrived in Nigeria courtesy one of Nigeria’s fastest growing automotive companies, Mikano International’s Motors division.
Under the arrangement, Maxus Auto joins the ZNA (Rich6) and Geely brands, in an exclusive partnership with Mikano International.
City Business News reports that with global support from SAIC, the Maxus brand is a success story across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and many others.
Also, the brand retains the LDV-Maxus name for the UK, Australian and New Zealand markets where it remains the top selling Chinese automotive brand.
In Africa, the Maxus brand is already making waves, most especially in Ivory Coast where it has gained popularity.
Born in 1896, Maxus Autos boasts of positive benefits of a British heritage, having begun in the UK in 1896 under the ‘Leyland’ marque with the production of commercial vehicles.
Subsequently, the company expanded its line-up to include passenger vehicles and a wider array of commercial vehicles such as buses, delivery vans, among others.
Information made available to City Business News explained that by then, the name had evolved to Leyland Daf Vans (LDV)’, through mergers.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, at the weekend, representatives of Mikano Motors said Nigerians are set to enjoy the durability and reliability the mid- size pickup truck with advanced technology and an intelligent operating system offers, for their personal and business needs.
The T60 comes in three gasoline variations; Comfort, Elite and Luxury with Manual and Automatic options.
Meanwhie, the Mitsubishi powered engines are available in 2.4L or 2.0T, with a Borg- Warner 4WD system and other parts supplied by International Fortune 500 global companies
Menwhile, LDV-Maxus has become one of Europe’s most recognizable and reliable brands for commercial vehicles and in 2010, the brand was acquired by China’s largest automaker, SAIC Motors- a Fortune 500 company which owns several of the largest auto brands in the world’s largest automotive market- China.
SAIC also has long term joint venture partnerships with Volkswagen (Volkswagen, Skoda, Audi) and General Motors (Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac).
Explaining further at the unveiling ceremony in Lagos, General Manager, Mikano Motors, Ralph Haidar, said: “We at Mikano Motors are excited about welcoming the Maxus Brand into our fold”, describing Maxus Autos as “a brand with great potential to become a market leader.”
According to Haidar, like other brands under Mikano Motors, the Maxus T60 will be assembled locally at Mikano Motors’ auto- assembly plant located at Karameh Industrial City in Ogun State.
Briefing Journalists and other stakeholders, Haidar described the Maxus T60 as the only Chinese pick- up vehicle permitted to be sold in European markets such as Spain and Italy.
He also identified the T60 as the first Chinese-manufactured utility pick-up truck to score 5 stars on the Australian ANCAP rating.
He extolled the tried and tested strength, durability and quality of the T60 and announced that the T60 will be on sale for the yuletide season from N15.9million, till December 31, 2022.
Speaking in a similar vein, Head of Marketing, Mikano Motors, Karima Okunola said the T60 is adequately fortified to deliver on its mandate.
According to Okunola, feedback so far received revealed growing interest in the T60 across the country.
In his submission, National Sales Manager for Mikano Motors; Chijioke Mbonu said: “From Mikano Motors, theT60 offers a 5-year/ 130,000km warranty- the highest warranty offer for any pick-up brand in the Nigerian auto industry”.
He added that this warranty and the Maxus brand legacy has led to impressive pre- launch sales figures, stating that “over 150 units had already been sold to state governments and private sector fleet purchases”.
According to Mbonu, the T-60 is the first of many remarkable vehicles to expect from the Maxus brand, adding that the Maxus brand embodies “technology, innovation and transformation, continually working to provide top- of- the line auto products and mobility services”.
After the unveiling ceremony, guests, including Nollywood stars, Jemima Osunde and Akah Nnanni and car enthusiasts, Ladi Okunola of SuperCars of Nigeria, Akpovire Okugbere of Car Continent and Dionette Ezimorah of RideWith Miee and Journalists were chauffeured to the site of the test drive activity on the shores of the prestigious Eko Atlantic City.
The high point of the ceremony was when the T60 was put to the test and impressively proved its mettle with little or no effort, showcasing the strength of its McPherson suspension system and the Bosch electronic stability control system.
At the end of the test drive and intense trial, the T60 demontrated great strength coupled with raw resilience despite numerous terrain challenges.
Under the Mikano Motors banner, the Maxus Autos will join Geely and ZNA to offer what the company described as the best warranty and world- class after- sales services to all customers-DRIVE TO THE MAX…
