Lead and sole dealer of Ford vehicle products in Nigeria, Coscharis Group has confirmed the strange position of its partners, Ford Corporation, US over its suspension of supplies to Nigeria.
The General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Services, Coscharis Group, Mr. Abiona Babarinde, who confirmed this, attributed the development to “forex-related issues,” saying the vehicles were “to be imported as SKD (semi-knocked down) kits for (auto) assembly but got stuck in South Africa because of slow sale of what we already have in stock in Nigeria.”
He said “With Coscharis, we will continue to manage our business, review and optimise the movement of stock to ensure that we have a sufficient supply of vehicles to fulfil customers’ needs”.
A statement from the Ford Motor Company of Sub-Saharan Africa said tough economic climate arising from the fall in oil prices, foreign exchange shortages and rapid devaluation of the naira was adversely affecting its operation in the region, including Nigeria.
The statement, by its spokesperson, Chipo Punungwe, read in part, “We continue to work through a tough economic environment in the sub-Saharan African region, including various economic factors such as lower oil prices, foreign exchange shortages and the rapid devaluation of local currencies, which have led to higher than normal inventory levels.”
Assemblers and dealers in new vehicles have complained about a drastic drop in vehicle sale this year due to recession.
A number of the companies, it was learnt, had to lay off some of their workers as their annual capacity utilisation had dropped by 97 per cent, from 500,000 to 15,000 vehicles.
The 15,000 new vehicles currently being produced in the country are less than what Toyota Nigeria Limited alone sold in 12 months some years ago.
Notwithstanding the current economic situation, Ford said it would continue to work with its partner, the Coscharis Group, to deliver quality vehicles and improved auto service to its customers in Nigeria.
It would be recalled that Ford Motor Company had announced the suspension of its planned exportation of 500 units of vehicles meant for the Nigerian market owing to the current economic recession in Nigeria.
The United States automaker was said to have assembled the vehicles in its South African factory and completed all arrangements to ship them to Nigeria before halting the decision.
Ford recently discontinued its business relationship with one of its two partners in Nigeria, RT Briscoe, leaving only Coscharis Motors as its sole representative in the country.
It would be recalled one year ago, exactly on Tuesday 17th November 2015, President/CEO, sub Saharan Africa region ford Jeff Nemeth was in Nigeria to unveil the first Ford Ranger assembled in Nigeria with president/CEO of Coscharis Group Dr Cosmas Maduka at the ford assembly plant. but today is a different matter.