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It was a harvest of awards by leading auto brands, tyre and lubricants brands in the country as the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) recently presented different categories of awards to deserving winners at the Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The award night which had the director general of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) , Aliyu Jelani and the representative of the Corps Marshal of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) as special guests was well attended by many chief executives and other stakeholders in the nation’s automotive sector..
In the award categories for 2018, Hyundai Creta won the Car of The Year (COTY) Award beating Toyota Corolla and GA 3, a Chinese brand .
In the Luxury Car of The Year, Mercedes Benz S-class emerged winner ahead of BMW 7-series while the Luxury SUV of the Year award went to Range rover Autobiography.
Toyota Hilux and Toyota Hiace clinched the Pick-up of the Year award and Mini Bus of the Year awards respectively.
Indigenous Lubricant of the year went to Lubcon, just as Ceat smiled home with the Tyre brand of the year.
Also Massilia was named as the Most Improved Showroom and Light Duty Truck of the year and JAC T6 winning Value for money in the Pick-up segment, AIICO won the Auto Insurance Company of the year,among others.
While the Yutong bus won the High Capacity Commercial Passenger Bus of the year, the JAC truck won the Heavy Duty Truck of the year. Both are assembled in Nigeria by Kojo Motors and Lanre Shittu Motors respectively.
In his welcome speech, Mike Ochonma, the newly elected Chairman of NAJA, said that NAJA award is the most prestigious and only recognised auto award in the country.
He stated that the awards are the only recognised awards nationally and internationally and that the winners were arrived at after an exhaustive, but objective evaluation of competitors in each of the categories
He disclosed that the award winners which were arrived at through members’ votes, will among other things, provide consumers with sound, comparative information on vehicles that are new to the market.
Chairman of the Award Committee, Moses Ebosele, said the annual event always provides an opportunity for all stakeholders in the sector to come together to celebrate and exchange ideas especially in the areas of manufacturing, efficiency, innovation and corporate social responsibility.
In his response, Managing Director of Stallion Motors Nigeria Limited (HMNL), Parvir Singh, thanked the organisers for putting up the awards ceremony and for finding the Hyundai Creta worthy of the COTY award.
He promised that the company would continue to uphold the integrity which the company has been known for, while contributing positively for the Nigeria auto industry.
Also, Corporate Affairs Manager of Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL), Mrs Bukola Ogunnusi , expressed appreciation for the myriad of awards given to TNL for 2018.
