(Dakar, Friday, 20 December 2024) – Japan Motors Managing Director Salem Kalmoni officially opened his company’s brand-new Nissan sales, service and spares centre in the Senegalese capital.
The US$9,5-million investment is the culmination of an almost three-year journey and testimony to Japan Motors commitment to the West African country.
“When we opened our branch here 10 years ago, we did so because we believed in the potential of Senegal. Today this centre, the only one of its kind outside of South Africa and North Africa, built at a cost of €9 million is proof of that belief and of our commitment.”
The country, he said, had become as important a market for Japan Motors as Ghana, where the company was established almost 100 years ago and where Japan Motors invested US$9 million to build a Greenfields state of the art automotive plant where it assembles the all new built of more Nissan Navara pick-ups made in South Africa. “Today, the new vehicle market in Senegal is almost as big as Ghana’s and we have great faith in the country’s leadership and their plans. This SSS centre is a pivotal part of our growth strategy.”
Maciej Klenkiewicz, Nissan Independent Markets Africa managing director and South Africa country director, was in Senegal for the opening.
“We pride ourselves on the partners that we work with, and we have enjoyed a particularly fruitful and long relationship with Japan Motors, of more than five decades, which is the longest standing Nissan dealership in Africa.
“Japan Motors have proven themselves and their commitment to us and the markets they serve many times over, and this new centre coming as it does in the wake of their new assembly plant in Ghana, speaks volumes about exactly that.”
The new centre staffed by 48 people from technicians to salespeople is the first fully integrated facility that is fully compliant to the Nissan Retail Concept NEXT Global Dealer Facility design in sub-Saharan Africa.
The workshop covers 663 sq m with 20 bays and two truck pits with combined parking for 100 vehicles between the first floor and the roof top. Another unique feature is the special vehicle elevator that had to be installed, rather than building the more traditional ramp, to move vehicles from the ground floor to the various parking levels above.
For Japan Motors Senegal Managing Director Jamil Zoobi, the new centre is a key part of the company’s strategy to build back the Nissan brand in Senegal to its pre COVID19 levels when it was in the top three in the country.
“The centre creates a one stop shop, allowing an exceptional customer experience, saving them time while allowing them to relax in comfort while their vehicles are being serviced to world class standards using the best parts.”
