There are over 757 global car manufacturers in the world. Yet, in a country like Nigeria, only a handful of car brands reign supreme and dominate the Nigerian car market. Unlike in most other countries where several brands’ vehicles thrive in the market, in the Nigerian market, only a select number of brands dominate the car market.
Currently, in the country, car brands that are popularly known are Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Audi, Mazda, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, BMW, Ford, Chevrolet and a handful of others that are not popular within the market.
While millions of vehicles are parading Nigerian roads, a close look will reveal that these vehicles are majorly various models of the above-listed brands. Because marketing and sales thrive on mainly providing products that are in high demand, car manufacturers prioritize purchasing cars from the above brands over others (especially Toyota and Honda cars).
Little wonder, other vehicle brands like Lincoln and Subaru, and even General Motors and many others, are almost unknown in the Nigerian market.
While demand determines why car dealership prioritizes these few brands, there are other reasons why brands like Lincoln and Subaru are not popularly known in Nigeria. Some of the reasons include the following:
- Marketing Issues
Lincoln is surely one of the oldest car brands, founded in 1917 by a father and his son, Henry Leland and Wilfred Leland. The nameplate has seen its identity switch places and tumble over a few times before finally settling with its original name, the Lincoln Motor Company, in 2012.
On the other hand, Subaru was founded by Kenji Kita in 1953. The Automaker has had a strong presence in North America and Asia, where they majorly market their cars.
While the brands build some really cool cars, especially its sedan models, they are not popular in Nigeria because of the company’s lack of marketing strategy. Brands like Toyota thrive in Nigeria due to intense marketing. However, the same cannot be said for Lincoln Motors and Subaru vehicles, as the brand has non-existent marketing plans in Nigeria; as such, Nigerians know less about this brand.
- Nonexistent Demand
Since Nigerians know very little about Lincoln and Subaru cars due to a lack of marketing in this part of the world, no Nigeria patronizes the brand. Car owners are drawn to vehicles popularly known within their country because it comes with several benefits, like having a place to pick up spare parts in times of need easily.
- Lack of Spare Parts in Nigeria
While a handful of Nigerians are aware of Lincoln and Subaru cars, not many think of purchasing or owning them in the country due to the issue of sourcing car spare parts. Having cars like this in Nigeria means your vehicle will have less value as vehicles that have existing and easily-accessible spare part markets thrive in Nigeria. For instance, Toyota and Honda.
- Zero to None Expert Mechanics
Another reason why Lincoln and Subaru cars are not popular in Nigeria is the fact that there are fewer Nigerian mechanics that are experienced with vehicles like this. This is one issue BMWs suffer in Nigeria. As such, no Nigerian thinks of purchasing a Lincoln or Subarus since they could fall into the trap of being unable to fix their cars in the case of a breakdown.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever wondered why Lincoln and Subaru cars are not popular in Nigeria, the above-listed reasons are some of the major contributing factors. Generally, Lincoln and Subaru’s target audience are not in Nigeria.
