Stallion Group in partnership with Volkswagen on Tuesday relaunched the Volkswagen Assembly Plant in Lagos.
The inauguration, which had captains of industries, foreign expatriates and several stakeholders in attendance, took place at the premises of the assembly plant located at Km 16, Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Lagos State.
The event marked the historic return of the German car maker after more than 20 years of departure, following the collapse of its joint venture with the Federal Government.
This led to the closure of the manufacturing plant facility in Lagos State and the subsequent sale of government shares to the Stallion Group.
In line with the new auto policy announced by the Federal Government in October 2014, the collaboration between the Volkswagen Group and Stallion has resulted in the production of several new Volkswagen models such as New CC Passat, Tiguan, New Polo, New Jetta and Amarok.
All these new models were newly launched into the Nigerian auto market with the return of the moribund plant.
Commenting on the partnership, the Managing Director of Stallion Motors, Raju Sawlani, lauded the noble partnership and said the Stallion Group has broken a new ground in partnering with a world-leading global brand like Volkswagen.
Sawlani said further that Stallion is fully committed to achieving its objective in establishing assembly operations in Nigeria and going into other aspects of the automotive industry value chain.
The Director-General of National Automotive Council, Engr. Aminu Jalal, in his own address said the new automotive policy has no doubt brought respite to the Nigerian auto industry.
Jalal said: “This will further enable us create employment, acquire technology for our industrilization and reduce pressure on the country’s balance of payment position resulting from escalating vehicle import bill.”
The Managing Director of VON Assembly Plant, Tokunboh Aromolaran, also gave an impressive address on the revived establishment, before leading media men on a tour of the assembly plant.
The Volkswagen Group, with its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, is one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers and the largest car maker in Europe.
The Group operates 107 production plants in 19 European countries and a further eight countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa.
The Volkswagen Group sells its vehicles in 153 countries.
Stallion Group is already the exclusive distributor for several brands of the Volkswagen Group, including Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Porsche.
Stallion Group is a multinational conglomerate with a 45-year history operating in Nigeria and in 18 countries and is engaged in diversified industries.
The event was a huge success as delegates from Volkswagen AG,Wolfsburg, Germany, Stallion directors and government officials were part of the inaugural ceremony.
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