by Bennett Oghifo
Mikano International Limited, exclusive partner of Geely Automotive in Nigeria, has launched Geely flagship models- Emgrand 7 and X7-Sport.
The event, which took place at the Zorya Place Victoria Island Lagos, observing all COVID-19 protocols, was witnessed by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment – Otunba Niyi Adebayo and with other dignitaries in attendance.
Welcoming guests, the Chairman and CEO of Mikano International Limited, Mr. Mofid Karameh, gave insight on the partnership with Geely, saying “It took us 10 years to make up our mind on which company to bring into Nigeria so we can be sure to deliver the best to our esteemed customers.”
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment commended Mikano’s passion for investment in Nigeria, while encouraging more investors to emulate Mikano in this aspect.
Presenting the Mikano-Geely Partnership slides, Mr. Kamal Karameh, GM of Operation in Mikano announced that Mikano officially signed the partnership with Geely in 2019 and further elaborated on the global strength of Geely Auto, disclosing some very inspiring details about them.
“Geely is one of the world’s top automakers, they are the owner of Volvo Car Group, and the biggest shareholder of Daimler AG (group to which Mercedes Benz belongs), its sales exceeded 2.1 million cars, placing it among the world’s Top car manufacturers.
With more than $14 billion investment over the last 10 years in R&D and plans to further invest for the next five years, it is commitment to provide the highest level of modern technologies in its industry which has seen Geely record notable growth indexes:
• 100% of Volvo Car Group
• 9.69% of Daimler AG – Group to which Mercedes Benz belongs (becoming the largest shareholder).
• 100% of London Taxis
• 100% American Flying Car Company – Terrafugia
• 100% Lynk & Co (the Prestigious Brand from Geely)
• 51% of Lotus
• 49.9% of Proton
• Geely Holding Group has been ranked on Fortune Global 500 top companies, now for 9th consecutive years”
Mr. Karameh further elaborated that the Mikano-Geely partnership has brought the Geely global stamp of excellence and the Mikano type-tested Power and Service and availability into Cars specifically engineered and assembled here in Nigeria for the Nigerian Market.
The Geely Auto General Manager for Africa Market, Shubin Liu, in his virtual speech, commended the legacy of Mikano International Limited and expressed his confidence in the positive outcome of their partnership with Geely for the Nigeria automobile market.
According to Mikano Sales Manager for Geely, Mr. Ralph Haidar, the Geely flagship models Emgrand 7 and X7 Sport all come with a comprehensive 3-year free insurance, 3-year free servicing and 5-year warranty.
Further elaborating on the USPs of the Geely brands, he disclosed the High Technology endowment of the Geely brand as well as its well-engineered functionality, using influences from VOLVO and other acquired auto companies. In his words
Highlight of the event were
§ The unveiling of the Geely X7 Sport and the Emgrand7
§ The price announcement for both Models
The start price of each Model was announced as-
§ #13,400,000 starting price for X7 Sport
§ #8,700,00 starting price for Emgrand7
