“It has been an amazing journey so far,” says Nissan South Africa and Independent Markets Africa’ managing director, Maciej Klenkiewicz.
“We set out to celebrate our African footprint and our 60-year-old light commercial vehicle (LCV) legacy on the continent through this incredible vehicle which, of course, was designed for Africa and is built in Africa by Africans. All that remains now is the final instalment of this odyssey, in Cairo later this year when we will formally link our African LCV manufacturing hub in South Africa with our Egyptian passenger vehicle (PV) manufacturing facility.”
The journey, which began in Rosslyn, South Africa, has taken the team to Maputo in Mozambique, before heading up the coast and turning inland to get to Zimbabwe via that country’s renowned Eastern Highlands. After a stop in Harare, the expedition went to Zambia around the Kariba Dam, heading east to Lake Malawi through the Luangwa Valley. From Malawi, Daring Africa 2024 traversed the northern part of Tanzania, entering Kenya on Tuesday morning.
Heading straight to the Nairobi National Park, Daring Africa 2024 was met by executives from Nissan Kenya (Crown Motors, a subsidiary of Motus Africa) and local media before driving to Nissan Kenya’s Nairobi state-of-the-art showroom, which was opened 18 months ago. Here, the media could interact with the Daring Africa expedition crew and hear their experiences of this exciting journey.
On Wednesday, selected local media and key Nissan clients were invited to try out the Navara and the X-Trail for themselves on a 4x4 driving experience.
The expedition was designed to showcase the Navara, which will soon be available in North African markets and is due to be launched in Egypt shortly.
It has also been a wonderful platform for the Nissan X-Trail, launched in South Africa last April and in Egypt last August to prove its worth as the daring family car, running in support of the expedition alongside the tough, built for more Navaras.
“Kenya is a very important market for us. We have been in this country for more than 60 years and in fact assembled here in the past. It is a source of enduring pride for us that minibus taxis were locally referred to as Nissans, thanks in part to our long legacy brand in the country,” says Klenkiewicz.
Nissan is represented by Motus Africa in Kenya and in several other East African markets.
Tim Jaques, CEO of Motus Africa, met the media in Kenya and joined them on the off-road experience in the hills outside Nairobi.
“With Daring Africa 2024, Nissan has proved the durability and reliability of the Navara beyond any doubt. To think that the team drove their unmodified Navara pick-ups straight from the facility in Rosslyn and reached Kenya without any mechanical issues – or as much as a flat tyre – is testament to this,” says Jacques.
“This has been an epic experience for everyone involved,” says Nissan Head of Communications and Public Relations Ramy Mohareb. “It really has been Daring in every possible way. The roads have been challenging but the sights we’ve seen and the experiences that we have all undergone have been invaluable.
“We were able to renew old relationships and forge new ones as we shared our vision for Africa on the road and in fireside chats at night. We have been able to dream to dare because we have a vehicle that allows us to do just that, and together we can unlock the incredible potential that lies within this unique continent.”
Daring Africa will now transition to Egypt for the final instalment of this odyssey.
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