Nissan Navara does the continent
NISSAN is embarking on a trans-Africa expedition that will take a cluster of Navaras on an eight-country tour ending in Cairo. Called the ‘Nissan Daring Africa 2024’, the locally made bakkies will drive through Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania before heading to Egypt.
Nissan says it’s a celebration of the brand and its African heritage as the only manufacturer to have wholly owned plants in South Africa and Egypt. It has been here for more than 60 years, with its Rosslyn plant in Pretoria now the Japanese company’s LCV manufacturing hub for the whole continent. The facility in Cairo is the passenger vehicle assembly centre.
Having recently opened new markets in North Africa, Nissan Africa now has representation in every country on the continent.
Last year Nissan announced its expansion plans for the export of the Navara to new markets including Algeria, Libya and shortly in Egypt.
“It’s all part of our mid-term growth strategy, to unlock the potential that this continent has as the world’s last automotive frontier by providing the best line-up of models to answer Africa’s mobility needs in a sustainable, safe and aspirational way,” said Sherief Eldessouky, Nissan Africa MD.
“This odyssey from the African home of the Navara is a wonderful celebration of this vehicle. It’s all-new and built right here in Rosslyn, by Africans for Africans,” he said.
Africa is the last automotive frontier because of the low level of vehicle ownership. Elsewhere the global average is 182 vehicles per 1000 people versus 42 per 1000 in Africa.
“We believe in Africa, and we believe in this continent’s potential,” said Eldessouky.
The expedition also aims to breathe life into the concept of the African Continental Free Trade Area to show how the automotive sector holds the key to unlock its potential.
Interestingly, the support vehicle for the Navaras on their odyssey will be the Nissan X-Trail.
The expedition is daring, says Nissan Africa’s communications and PR head, Ramy Mohareb.
“We are proving our promise that the entire range of the Nissan Navara is equal to the severest road conditions that Africa has to offer as we connect our two manufacturing hubs on either side of the continent,” he said.