Maputo – Daring Africa 2024, an expedition of five Nissan Navara pick-ups and an X-Trail SUV, arrived in the capital of Mozambique in the second leg of the Japanese car maker’s odyssey up Africa.
“This is a celebration of the vehicles we build in Africa, especially the Navara, and the hands that build them,” explains Nissan Managing Director for South Africa and Independent Markets Africa, Maciej Klenkiewicz. “This journey links our African pick-up manufacturing hub in South Africa with our Passenger Vehicle assembly plant in Cairo, while allowing us to showcase the incredible partner network we have along the route.”
Welcoming the convoy to the Maputo showroom, Nissan Mozambique Managing Director Ivan Busi said he was very excited about the initiative. “Nissan is a wonderful brand and extremely popular in Mozambique and the Navara is a particularly important model for us given its versatility, its ruggedness and its levels of comfort.
“It is a great privilege to welcome everyone to our country and to have the opportunity to show off the capabilities of the Navara at some of Mozambique’s most picturesque sites as well as testing it on some of our toughest road conditions.”
Tomorrow, selected media and key Nissan Mozambique fleet clients are going to drive the Navara up the coast to Chidenguele and Inhassoro for an immersive experience of the vehicle’s capability before spending time with local executives at a fireside chat to discuss the brand and Africa.
“Daring Africa is also a great showcase of Nissan Mozambique,” says Busi, “not only do we sell the full range of Nissan vehicles, including the Navara, we also support every purchase through our extensive network of branches in dealerships in Maputo, Nampula, Beira, Moatize and Pemba, each one of which has recently undergone refurbishments to ensure they meet the global standards we expect from them.”
Daring Africa left Rosslyn, Nissan Africa’s home of the Navara on Tuesday March 26 on an eight-country odyssey that will ultimately end in Cairo soon thereafter. From Mozambique, the expedition will head to Zimbabwe, then Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya before transitioning to Egypt.
“This is an important initiative for us,” says Klenkiewicz, “we are showcasing the Navara in some of our existing markets, while opening brand new ones for the vehicle in North Africa. We believe in all new built of more Navara and Daring Africa is a wonderful platform to showcase this and Nissan’s footprint on the continent, while celebrating our impressive pick-up legacy.”
Last year Nissan Africa opened new markets for the Navara in Algeria and Libya, with the vehicle scheduled to be introduced to Egypt later this year.
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