The Managing Director of PAN Nigeria, local assemblers of Peugeot vehicles in Nigeria, Mr. Ibrahim Boyi, has observed the demand and acceptability for the Peugeot 508 has soared in recent times, following the decision of the House of Representatives to patronise the brand and an expansion of its market in the private sector.
According to Boyi “From last year I am sure you have seen more Peugeot cars; there is no doubt about that. Even in terms of our spread, it is not just the government, the biggest vehicle we sold are to private organisations; UBA, Heritage bank, these are organisations that buys car in their hundreds”.
Boyi added that “our business model is for sustainability, we want a sustainable model so that we will fight on all fronts with any competitor whether at the government side or the private side and that is why we are willing and happy to offer the best products in the markets in the most competitive prices.
Speaking about prices, he said “today our cars are the cheapest in the market. Some companies had some advantages in the past because of some sharp practices they were involved in, but you know nobody else will provide the type of pricing that they are providing, our pricing is very transparent and very structured, so we are not cutting corners we make sure we get our pricing right, we cut down on our logistics to be more efficient and that is why we are able to put these products in the market with a better price than the competitor”.
Peugeot, the MD explained, “is a good a car whether for public or private use and that is why our efforts and marketing activities have actually been more on the private sector and we have made a very long successful mark in the private sector and that is why you will see Peugeot cars more often”. Boyi nonetheless, looks forward to the full implementation of the new auto policy, which according to him, will be more impetus to local auto assemblers.
On future projections, Boyi revealed that the company’s plan is to add newer models to its line-up. “We are bringing in some newer models into the market, the 3008 will be one of them, and we are also looking at bringing the 2008”.
Assembled in PAN Nigeria’s auto assembly plant in Kaduna, the 508 comes with 1.6 turbo horsepower Peugeot 508 churns out amazing 156 brake-horsepower with a very high torque of 240 Nm@1400rpm even at slow speed. This engine is both dynamic and smooth, boasting very high fuel efficiency. The beauty of it all is that the Peugeot 508 delivers the fuel efficiency of a 1.6 litre car but the power of a 3.0 litre V6 engine.