Africa’s only vehicle manufacturing company, Innoson, has asked Nigerians to take pride in the ownership of the made in Nigeria brand.

The company’s founder and CEO, Innocent Chukwuma, made this appeal during a tour and media interaction of the company’s manufacturing plant located at the Innoson industrial estate, Akwa-Uru, Umudim, Nnewi in Anambra state on Tuesday.

“This industry should not be left to the different levels of government alone. States and the federal government have been very supportive, but, this industry is for every Nigerian.

“I want everyone in the country to know that Innoson vehicles are for Nigerians. Let everybody see Innoson as our own product. I’d love for us to achieve that.

“As a Nigerian, when you see Innoson in any part of the world, you’ll know that this is our own. It gives a sense of pride. So whether government buys or not, if Nigerians can see the vehicles like our own, that for me will be a great milestone for Innoson,” Mr Chukwuma said.

With the acceptance the brand has received in recent years, it appears that Nigerians are open to the idea of owning an Innoson, however, some say that compared to more known foreign brands, the Innoson vehicles are pricey.

During the tour, Mr Chukwuma said he’s aware of this concern and was making efforts to roll out affordable yet quality cars, but that he was constrained by the high cost of production.

The company sells its sedans, such as the IVM Connect and IVM SMART G20 for N8,500,000, and the highest-selling vehicle, its SUV, the IVM G80 for N49,700,000.

“Nigerians should understand that what we do here is manufacturing. We do not assemble vehicles, but manufacture from scratch. And most of our materials are locally sourced.

“We have plans to produce a vehicle that would be priced between eight hundred thousand to one million naira, but the cost of producing a quality vehicle at such a price is challenging,” Mr Chukwuma said, adding that “we are working to surmount this challenge.”

However, the vehicle manufacturer has over the years received patronage from the federal government and MDAs and state governments across the country, with several of Nigeria’s security agencies having in their fleet of vehicles Innoson motors.

In a recent visit to the company’s head office in Nnewi, Anambra state, the minister of police affairs, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi stated that the police would strengthen its business relationship by continuing to patronise Innoson vehicles for its operational needs.

During the tour of the company, Mr Dingyadi said, “We are pleased to see the facilities on ground today at the factory and we are now further assured that Innoson Vehicles have the capacity to manufacture vehicles both that will serve our operational needs.

“Based on this visit today, we shall strengthen our relationship with Innoson and this will also help in strengthening our economy,” Mr Dangyadi added.

He was accompanied by the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, who stated that the Nigerian police has for years been a customer to Innoson and went on to also pledge the police’s continued patronage of Innoson vehicles.