Japan Motors Trading Company (Japan Motors), Nissan’s sole distributor in Ghana, continued its award-winning run when it was crowned 2016’s Motor Firm of the Year Award for a third consecutive time. The Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) conferred the award at the Institute’s Marketing Awards ceremony in Accra on September 23, 2017. Japan Motors was recognised for strategic marketing that was instrumental in achieving a leading 19 percent market share — positioning Nissan as the most popular auto brand in Ghana. Marketing manager, Hilda Peasah said the award, which acknowledged excellence in marketing initiatives and their implementation, means a lot to Japan Motors and Ghana – a key Nissan growth market. “Not only is it particularly satisfying to receive the award for three years’ running, but it also bolsters our ranking as the best Nissan distributor in sub-Saharan Africa.” Evaluators made the award based on a number of indicators. Nissan was commended for providing superior customer service; meeting the needs and desires of customers through its product mix; having a presence in major cities; and building a culture of excellence. The Award — which rates Nissan as the most respected and worthy auto company in Ghana — made specific mention of Nissan’s commitment to corporate social responsibility, citing people-focused activities and activations in the realm of education, health and sport. What had particularly connected consumers to the brand in Ghana was Nissan’s involvement in the UEFA Champions, a global initiative which encompasses key Nissan markets in sub-Saharan African. As the first auto company in Ghana to organise activations during the tournament in the last decade, partnering with the world’s biggest soccer event contributed to raising Nissan’s customer satisfaction index. “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers, employees and strategic partners who all played a role in our achievement. The awards will spur us on to give our best in other areas of our operations,” added Peasah. Nissan Group of Africa marketing and sales director Xavier Gobille congratulated Japan Motors on its success. “We rely on strong partners like Japan Motors to realise our vision of becoming a leading auto company in Africa. Their constant passion and commitment will inspire and motivate others as we work together to achieve our goal,” encouraged Gobille. Nissan’s Africa Strategy is building the brand through an expanded dealership network in key African markets, supported by products tailored for individual markets. The Strategy is bearing fruit. In the latest 2016/2017 Brand Africa report — an annual survey and valuation of the Top 100 brands in Africa across 19 countries — showed that Nissan moved four places to 13th position as most valuable brand in Africa. Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2015, the company sold more than 5.4 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 12.2 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world’s best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: ASEAN & Oceania; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and Mitsubishi Motors since 2016 under the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. supplies innovative and exciting models across the hatchback, SUV, sedan and pickup segments in Africa. Nissan has three operational hubs and factories on the continent: Egypt in northern Africa, and Nigeria and South Africa in Sub-Sahara Africa. The Nigeria plant is the result of a Nissan and Stallion Group partnership, formed after the government introduced new policies to stimulate local industry. Production of the first Nissan vehicles started at Stallion’s VON plant in Lagos in April 2014. In doing so Nissan became the first OEM automaker to build cars in Nigeria. The plant assembles the Nissan Patrol, Almera, NP300 and Urvan. Nissan is targeting significant growth on the continent with a strong sales network and expanded product range introduced in developing countries. Innovative vehicles across the board include award-winning models such as the Qashqai and X-Trail. In fiscal year 2013 the company sold nearly 110,000 units in Africa. More about Nissan in Africa: www.nissanafrica.com]]>
