The government has tasked foreign vehicle assemblers in the country to adopt competitive pricing strategies in a bid to attract Ghanaian customers.
According to the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Michael Okyere Baafi, this will also enhance their chances of survival in the vehicle assembling business in the country.
In his address at the commissioning of the first Honda HR-V assembled car held at its factory in Tema, Mr. Okyere Baafi charged the Japanese automotive company, Honda, to take a cue from the initiative.
The deputy minister said: “I will also want to charge Honda that you have other players in the market already. There are companies that are working in the area of vehicle assembling. Some of them work directly with the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) through partnership arrangements and dealerships. The OEMs are even doing business directly in Ghana. ”
“Volkswagen is working here. Kia Motors is working through Rana Motors. Peugeot, Nissan, Foton, Changan; all these vehicles are now working here. So you have now joined the business. Now, make sure you work very hard and come out with prices that are very attractive to the market. That is the only way you will be able to survive in the market, “he noted.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Regional Unit for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Honda Motor Co. Ltd, Katushisa Okuda underscored their readiness to serve the needs of Ghanaian customers.
“This factory is here to serve the people here in Ghana, and as the Deputy Minister said, yes, we have to swipe the offer as low price as possible. Of course, we will try. But, primarily, yes, we will focus on the customer and the market here in Ghana, “he underscored.
He added that about 500 units of the Honda HR-V vehicles will be assembled in the country annually with the unit cost of the vehicle at $30,000.
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Mochizuki Hisanobu in a solidarity message revealed that the idea of the assembling of HR-V in the country by the manufacturers was made known to him a year ago and as such, noted that it signified a long-standing business relationship between Ghana and Japan.
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