Ford Chooses Nigeria to Assemble Pickup Truck - IndustryWeek
Ford Motor Co's (IW 500/6) announcement on August 11 that it will assemble its Ranger pickup in Nigeria will make that country the first African country outside of South Africa to produce Ford products. “Assembling Ford Ranger trucks in Africa’s largest economy is an important milestone in our Middle East and Africa growth plan,” said Jim Benintende, president of Ford Middle East & Africa. Ford is partnering with Ford dealer group Coscharis Motors Limited on the project. Ford will assemble the vehicles at a semi-knockdown level, using body parts and components imported from South Africa for the new Ranger. The new assembly plant in Ikeja will create approximately 180 jobs directly and indirectly, and has the capacity to assemble up to 5,000 units annually. “Nigeria is a priority market for us in Sub-Saharan Africa and today’s announcement will allow us to better serve our customers both from a retail point of view, and in terms of vehicle and parts availability,” said Jeff Nemeth CEO of Ford Motor... The Ford Ranger was the best-selling vehicle South Africa for the first half of 2015, and is currently sold in 24 countries throughout the continent. Source: www.industryweek.com
