Stallion Group, the Renault-Nissan Alliance and West African conglomerate have signed an agreement to start vehicle assembly in Nigeria.The agreement is to potentially create a major Nissan manufacturing hub for Africa.
A statement released by Renault-Nissan, on Wednesday, said the deal would see Stallion, which is Nissan’s exclusive distributor in Nigeria, increase capacity at its existing plant in Lagos.
“Nissan is preparing to make Nigeria a significant manufacturing hub in Africa,” said Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan and Renault. “As the first-mover in Nigeria, we are positioned for the long-term growth of this market and across the broader continent.”The proposed assembly is expected to introduce the Nissan Patrol SUV next year. The plant would also be opened to French auto group Renault, though the companies did not give any details.Stallion currently produces commercial vehicles at the facility, but the plant’s annual capacity would be expanded to 45,000 units to assemble a range of cars, light duty trucks, pick-ups and vans, the group