..:: AUTO REPORT AFRICA ::..
Related Articles
“Wow! FIAT is finally here in Nigeria, it is no longer a dream – it is a reality! This Italian brand promises to match the superior standards set by all the other brands we represent here in Nigeria…Today is a special day for Weststar – marking a fresh start through the birth of this new brand. We are extremely excited and we hope you are as well.”
Those were the words of the Managing Director, Weststar Associates Limited, Mirko Plath, as he expressed great excitement, Thursday, at the Lekki, Lagos office of the sole franchise distributors of FIAT in Nigeria as the Italian marque was reintroduced to the Nigerian market at a colourful ceremony during which the FIAT Tipo sedan was unveiled.
Excited at the development, Plath, continued : “Today, we have started an evolutionary journey by taking one more step in our business as earlier announced in the year, we have listened to our customers and we have – after many months of planning, research and business meetings, finally completed this extraordinary task to make a dream come true, especially in the Nigerian market. Bringing FIAT back home – a product that thoroughly satisfies and excites despite the present economic circumstances and the challenging times.”
Describing the attraction of the day as the FIAT brand rebirth and the FIAT TIPO “which we are officially unveiling,” Plath said “the Fiat brand slogan, driven by passion… inspired us to deliver more for less… Most of us have been informed about the arrival of this beauty and of course, we are most excited to officially present it to you today. Wow! FIAT is finally here in Nigeria, it is no longer a dream – it is a reality! This Italian brand promises to match the superior standards set by all the other brands we represent here in Nigeria.
“As we all know, FIAT is a major brand from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group. The formal merger between Fiat and Chrysler Group carries on the tradition of two historic automakers: Fiat founded in 1899 and Chrysler founded in 1925. Together the two automobile makers created a stronger alliance to produce cars that are more revolutionary. As the largest automobile manufacturer in Italy, the acronyms “FIAT” stands for Fabrica Italiano Automobili Turino.
“Born over a century ago, the FIAT brand has acquired a long history that includes war, automotive innovation and international conquest. Fiat was also involved in the manufacturing of military vehicles, machinery and commercial vehicles for the Italian Army and Regia Aeronautica. By the 1950s, FIAT resumed full car manufacturing thus, strongly benefitting from the Italian economic boom thereby putting four million Italians on the road with its famous two-cylinder FIAT 500.
“FIAT also expanded its offerings to the U.S, rebuilding many of its former operations in the States. From that point on, Fiat products became popular roadsters in the U.S., especially among young Americans – a trend that continues to this day. The brand has since then grown to become one of the most esteemed car brands in Europe and in the US as it has won the “Europe Car of the Year” more times than any other car brand. This is one of the reasons why we believe FIAT presents the right platform for the Nigerian market.”
