Toyota Nigeria has achieved a breakthrough in Nigeria by unveiling of its first locally-assembled vehicle in Lagos, a Hiace bus.
Toyota Nigeria last year hinted of its plan to establish a vehicle assembly plant in the country to join Nissan, Ford, Kia, Peugeot and a host of other auto firms already assembling vehicles locally.
The Managing Director, Toyota Nigeria, Mr. Kunle Ade-Ojo, said the new Hiace was assembled in the company’s plant in Lagos, built with 30,000-unit production capacity every year.
The Hiace, he said, was assembled as a test case, adding that the organization would soon begin its mass production.
This is coming about two and a half years after the announcement of the Automotive Industry Development Plan by the Federal Government, which raised the import duty on cars from 22 per cent to 70 per cent in order to discourage vehicle importation.