Nigeria’s automobile sector to export locally manufactured cars

President Goodluck Jonathan said on Thursday that the vision of his administration to revamp the capability of Nigeria’s automobile sector to export locally manufactured cars is near realisation.

Jonathan stated this at the 2014 Democracy Day celebration held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Jonathan, who inspected locally assembled Nissan Saloon cars, Pick-Up Van and SUV at the venue of the programme, said the administration had proved doubting Thomas wrong.
The President explained that when he made the disclosure in 2013 that made-in Nigeria cars would be rolled out in the country in April and that Nigeria would soon be exporting cars, he was lampooned on the pages of newspapers.

He commended Nissan Group for keying into the new automotive policy of the federal government and urged other multinational auto companies to take a cue from Nissan.

The President also used the occasion to present his administration’s third anniversary report of the transformation agenda.

The report gave the accounts of the administration’s stewardship in every sector of the economy in the last one year.

Jonathan said the report, which was also rendered in multimedia video clip to the audience, authenticated that things are working in the country inspite of security challenges.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the administration’s mid-year score card was presented by the President during the 2013 Democracy Day celebration.

NAN reports the 2014 Democracy Day celebration was dedicated to the Nigeria Youth.

The event was attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Maryam Aloma Mukhtar, Ministers and members of Diomatic Corps.

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme and former Chief of General Staff, Gen. Oladipo Diya also attended the event. (NAN)

 

2013 Nissan Pathfinder- Review

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The 2013 Nissan Pathfinder is in a new place that’s just right for families who want a big, comfortable, sensible wagon, but it’s given up some of its path-finding heritage to get there.

The Nissan Pathfinder is a mighty familiar SUV nameplate in the U.S. market. It’s been around more than a quarter century; yet this year it warrants a complete reintroduction.

Current or former Pathfinder owners looking to rekindle their relationship with the new version are likely to be sorely disappointed, as the 2013 Pathfinder doesn’t exactly follow in the previous model’s footsteps. This is no longer a musclebound truck; and Nissan wasn’t shooting for rock-crawling ability, or powerboat-towing prowess.

Those who clear their preconceptions will find who Nissan was opening the doors to: families, and especially families who need a little extra space. For that, you’ll likely find the Pathfinder to be an attractive, well-thought-out vehicle that performs better (and more efficiently) than a number of other family crossovers on the road—where it matters.

The 2013 Nissan Pathfinder has made that transition to a passenger-oriented uni-body design—now with just a dash of ruggedness—and its styling, with a soft, rakish tall-wagon look, communicates exactly that. It’s a little more swept-back, rakish, and curvaceous compared to other large crossovers, with a much more swept-back stance compared to most rival models; altogether it’s more wagon-like to our eyes than any of its rivals, like the Highlander, Pilot, or Explorer—not a bad thing, really. The Pathfinder’s heavily sculpted front fenders and rear fender accents give the design the right degree of ‘pop,’ and they fit right in with the design aesthetic of Nissan’s latest passenger-car models like the Altima and Sentra. Inside, there’s some trickle-down design and appointments from Infiniti for sure, but unremarkable materials and a limited set of just two rather drab interior colors makes the cabin feel unexpectedly conservative.

Provided you keep to the streets and highways—as Nissan is anticipating that the vast majority of Pathfinder owners will do—this is a vehicle that responds far better than last year’s model of the same name. All Pathfinders are now powered by the familiar 3.5-liter ‘VQ’ V-6, which has been used in everything from the 370Z to the Maxima and Murano, all in somewhat different tunes. Here it makes 260 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque, is good to go on regular-grade gasoline, and provides strong, smooth

acceleration with the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). With a wider span than the previous unit—and a sturdy chain instead of a belt—this CVT allows quicker acceleration and lower revs when cruising, although we note that there’s quite a delay for quick bursts of power for passing. Otherwise when you’re behind the wheel of the Pathfinder, it’s quite easy to forget that you’re driving any kind of utility vehicle. The Pathfinder responds in corners much more like a softly spring sedan than an SUV, and it drives without the nagging sense of heft that heavier models like GM’s full-size crossovers (which weigh several hundred pounds more) have. The hydraulic-electric steering in particular is excellent.

Models with four-wheel drive come with an Auto mode, as well as a 4WD Lock mode that sends an equal 50/50 to the front and rear axles, with traction-control electronics managing distribution side to side. There’s also a 2WD mode that can boost your gas mileage slightly when roads are completely dry and clear. There’s still some trail ability here, but don’t expect much more than you’d get in, say, a Subaru Outback (there’s actually less ground clearance). When equipped with the tow package, the Pathfinder can pull up to 5,000 pounds, and the chain-driven CVT will settle to a different cruising RPM depending on loads.

The new Pathfinder feels like it was designed for passenger comfort, interior space, and interior flexibility above nearly all else. It fits in for height and width within a few inches of the Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, and Toyota Highlander, yet it’s quite a bit longer than any of those models—a few inches shorter than the super-roomy GM full-size crossovers (Traverse, Acadia, Enclave) and around the same length as the Mazda CX-9. Most of that length goes to the cabin, and it follows that the Pathfinder actually fits three usable rows of seating. Second-row bench accommodations can be slid back up to 5.5 inches when there’s nobody back in the third row, though adults may find it hard to get comfortable as they’re quite short, flat, and van-like, as well as surprisingly low—inviting a sort of legs-splayed position. The third row is low and hard, with barely enough headroom for an average adult—in other words, it’s roomier than the typical third row. And the second row has a trick ‘Latch and Glide’ function that lets you leave child seats in place while tilting the second row forward.

Ride quality is another strength for the Pathfinder. It’s smooth and refined—Nissan has paid extra attention to secondary vibrations—and you don’t hear or feel minor road coarseness. Wind noise is also kept under wraps even at Interstate cruising speeds, and the V-6 here is one of the few engines mated to a CVT that doesn’t drone insufferably when accelerating rapidly.

Nissan boasts that the Pathfinder provides “premium features for all passengers,” and especially if you spring for one of the higher trim levels, and some key options, that’s true. Opt for the top-of-the-line Pathfinder Platinum and for a bottom-line price of about $42k (4WD) you get the tow package, cooled front seats, the Bose audio system, navigation, and an Around View Monitor, all with a higher-resolution eight-inch WVGA display. With the available Nissan Navigation System, you also get traffic information, Bluetooth streaming audio, and voice recognition. Also on offer is a tri-zone entertainment system that lets you play separate programming for each of the two seven-inch rear screens (DVD, gaming input, or photos), all while front-seat occupants can listen to their own programming. All that’s missing on the Pathfinder is the taste of high-tech convenience features—like adaptive cruise control, or a blind-spot system—that are starting to jump from luxury brands down to the mainstream.

Video: How touch screen controls in cars should work

If you have a (relatively) new car, the center stack is probably flawed. You’d hoped for something sleek and intuitive, and instead, you wound up with Lieutenant Uhura’s computer from Star Trek: lots of bells and whistles that don’t seem to do much of anything.

This is a major problem, and solving it ranks among the biggest challenges facing today’s car companies. Our vehicles themselves may be better built than they once were, but as systems like Ford’s popular but much-loathed MyFord Touch demonstrate, our infotainment features are ready for the scrap heap.

Enter designer Matthaeus Krenn, who bemoans the fact that automakers “merely replicate old button layouts and shapes on these new, flat, glowing surfaces” littering today’s dashboards. In his notes for the video embedded above, Krenn says:

I propose a new mode that can be invoked at any time: It clears the entire screen of those tiny, intangible control elements and makes way for big, forgiving gestures that can be performed anywhere. In place of the lost tactile feedback, the interface leverages the driver’s muscle memory to ensure their ability to control crucial features without taking their eyes off the road.

Which sounds great, until you see what he’s actually proposed.

Is Krenn’s prototype beautiful? Absolutely. It looks like something out of Logan’s Run or Tron (high praise, back in the day). It would make a fantastic control panel for your in-home thermostat, lighting, and stereo.

Could it work in a car? Yes, but it would probably kill you.

We understand how Krenn’s interface works. We appreciate the way that it’s designed to be adaptive, so that it works no matter where you first touch it. Eventually, we could get used to its one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-finger controls.

But learning the system would take time, and we could envision many occasions when we meant to turn up the a/c but instead cranked up the Def Leppard. Also, we think he’s being far too optimistic when he suggest that a user could flip through her entire song catalog without glancing over at the screen.

And heaven forbid one of your parents should get a car with Krenn’s interface. You thought teaching them AOL was hard?

Most suitable car for Nigerian Roads: Lets Have your say People

Hi guys,

I have worked and lived in most Nigerian major cities- Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan…. From my observation, the most popular car vehicle in nigerian roads today is 1998 Toyota Camry “Pencil”.

The question remains: What model and type of car do you consider to be the best for use on Nigerian roads?

 

1st made in Nigeria cars by Nissan to role out in April

The first set of Made in Nigeria 4×4  SUVs will be rolled out by Nissan Motors in April this year.
nissan Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motors, Carlos Ghosn, disclosed this to President Goodluck Jonathan on the sideline of ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Ghosn, who said the vehicles would be rolled out of the old Volkswagen Assembly plant in Lagos, noted it was possible to produce two to three million cars in Nigeria annually.
According to him, this will lead to creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the country.
He also told President Jonathan that Nissan intended to increase its investment in Nigeria and establish its own production plant in the country.
“We are interested in producing popular cars , totally adapted to the needs of Nigerians,” Ghosn told the President, adding that the company also planned to bring its global suppliers to make vehicle components in the country.
In his remarks, President Jonathan reiterated that the diligent implementation of the country’s new national automotive policy would rapidly develop Nigeria’s automobile industry.

Full Year 2012 Top 7 brands Ranking Table below.

Nigeria Full Year 2012:

Pos     Carmaker     2012     %     /11     2011     %     Pos
1     Toyota     19,755     40.7%     30%     15,238     29.7%     1
2     Kia     5,034     10.4%     n/a     n/a     n/a     2
3     Hyundai     4,259     8.8%     n/a     n/a     n/a     3
4     Ford     2,613     5.4%     4%     2,523     4.9%     4
5     Honda     2,473     5.1%     58%     1,562     3.0%     7
6     Mitsubishi Fuso     2,088     4.3%     10%     1,898     3.7%     5
7     Nissan     954     2.0%     -46%     1,772     3.5%     6

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com