Ford will launch assembly of its Asia-market Ranger midsize pickup in Nigeria, marking the second country on the African continent to build Ford vehicles.
Plans call for production from semi-knocked-down kits to get under way in the fourth quarter at a facility in Ikeja, in the state of Lagos, about 470 miles (750 km) from the capital city of Abuja. Ford will partner with local dealer group Coscharis Motors for the assembly program.
Ford says Nigeria is a “priority market” in Sub-Saharan Africa. The new assembly operation will employ about 180 workers both directly and indirectly and have capacity for about 5,000 of the pickups per year. All of the production will be for sale locally.
“Assembling Ford Ranger trucks in Africa’s largest economy is an important milestone in our Middle East and Africa growth plan,” Jim Benintende, president-Middle East & Africa, says in a statement. “With Coscharis we have the right partner and with the Ford Ranger we have the right product to deliver a world-class truck that Nigerian customers want and value.”
Ford says the Ranger, sold in 24 countries throughout the continent, was South Africa’s best-selling vehicle in the first half of 2015. The truck is produced in South Africa for 148 markets, including Europe, the Middle East and other African markets.
