According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) investigations, many car owners in Abuja, the country’s capital, are selling or giving up their large vehicles in favour of smaller ones. In addition to being less expensive to own, compact cars are also usually more fuel-efficient, which is why they are snapping them up.
Since the termination of fuel subsidies, sales of compact cars have surpassed those of other segments of the market, according to certain auto dealers who talked with NAN.
The manager of a car stand in Dawaki, Mr. Sankay Yagbaza, reported to BrandSpur business and economy news desk that his regular customers increasingly want low-fuel vehicles such as the Kia Picanto, Nissan Micra, Suzuki Swift, Grand Vitara, Toyota Matrix, and others.
He had this to say: “The high fuel price has humbled buyers; a lot of people even prefer to join public transport these days, rather than drive their own cars.
“Before now, cars like Picanto and Matrix were mostly bought by women or beginners. People buy them to master the act of driving before buying bigger cars.
“But, men are buying them now, because they just need a small car that will not consume much fuel to move them around,” he added.
Another Manager of a vehicle stand on Airport Road, John Eze, stated that he had run out of tiny cars on his stand but that his customers had been requesting more. According to him: “It is the desire of most Nigerians now, to own cars that have low fuel consumption, such as Honda Civic and the small Toyota Corolla.”
Usman Sombo, a different vehicle salesman in Garki, who sells fairly used cars, claimed that his lack of compact automobiles was the reason he had lost so much business. He said: “I used to sell between eight and 10 cars in a month, but since the fuel subsidy removal, the sale has dropped to two or three cars in a month.
“As you can see around, I deal more with big cars. Because of low patronage, it has been difficult for me to raise funds to stock compact cars which are now in vogue. Most of the customers we receive in our stand are asking for compact cars because of their fuel efficiency.
“They also consider the cost of the compact cars, which ranges between N4 million to N6 million, depending on the make and grade,” he added.
When speaking with NAN in the Federal Secretariat parking lot, a public servant named Lawrence Ogunleye gave his reasoning for choosing a compact vehicle. He disclosed: “Before owning this Kia Picanto, I drove a Toyota Venza, which I have now packed and reserved for long journeys. I come to the office and move around with this small car now, and it has saved me a lot of money on fuel.
“Although I feel less safe in the small car while driving on the highway, compared to the Venza, it has its own advantages. Besides the less fuel mileage, it is easier to move around narrow streets, easy to park and cheaper to own.
“The car is more manoeuvrable, better handled and it is a lot more fun to drive,” he added.
