We Have Capacity to meet Local Demand — PAN

• We Have Capacity to meet Local Demand — PAN

PAN Nigeria Limited, the assembler of Peugeot brand of vehicles, has said it is adequately equipped to meet local demand for its vehicles.

It stated this in a statement by its Head of Corporate Communications, Haroun Malami, in a reaction to a report published on Monday titled, ‘Reps grumble as delivery of N6.1bn exotic car stalls’.

The auto firm had been contracted in the last quarter of 2015 by the House of Representatives to supply 360 units of Peugeot 508 series to the 360 members.

The report, which said that only 175 units of the vehicles had been delivered, indicated that “Peugeot lacks capacity to deliver the cars because of the huge number”.

But the company said it was “misleading and inaccurate” to say that PAN lacked the capacity to deliver the vehicles, adding that “it undermines our capacity as a key stakeholder and active player in the Nigerian automotive industry.”

The firm said, “We are a pioneer car assembly plant in Nigeria with over four decades in vehicle assembly; our SKD (Semi-Knocked Down) production capacity at the moment is 30 vehicles per shift; we are the only assembly plant with a fully built CKD (Completely Knocked Down) facility ready for deployment when demand arises.

“With a robust dealership network and after-sales services, we are uniquely placed and committed to meet national, and our customers’ demand that are committed in meeting their financial obligation.”

It noted that the choice of Peugeot 508 over other vehicle brands by the House of Representatives was based on the “overall value offered by the vehicle in terms of price, performance and residual value.”

It described the decision of the House to go for the Peugeot brand was a demonstration of patriotism to buy made-in-Nigeria products and support for the government’s auto development plan and promotion of local industrialisation.