A recent research has shown that most Nigerians prefer the use of Sedans also known as saloon cars. According to Carmudi, one of the leading online market place for vehicles, about 55 percent of Nigerians prefer saloon cars to other vehicles. This result is the highest obtain within the African continent where similar researches were conducted.
Domestic auto manufacturers like the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, Nigeria’s first automaker, have followed this trend and made history late in November 2014 when it built 500 vehicles, including the Umu sedan at its local plant. For our neigbouring country Ghana, things look slightly different where 41percent of searchers on the Carmudi website are browsing for SUVs compared to the 35 percent that are browsing for sedans.
Recent statistics show that sales of SUVs outside North America will surge 40 percent in the next four years, particularly in Asia. Carmudi data revealed that car buyers in Asia browsed most for sedans, particularly in Myanmar (59 percent), Sri Lanka (57 percent), Bangladesh (51 percent), Pakistan (50 percent), and Indonesia (38 percent). While it is unlikely that motorists in Asia will completely turn their backs on sedans, the slow but apparent shift towards SUVs is taking place, notably in the Philippines, where 25 percent of Carmudi visitors are browsing for SUVs, compared with 19 percent of users browsing for sedans.
In 2014, for the first time ever, sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and crossover vehicles (CUVs) surpassed sedans in the United States, accounting for 36.5% of the new vehicle market. For decades, the traditional four-door sedan has dominated global roadways, but the gap has narrowed for years in the West. Carmudi analyzed data based on thousands of listings in the last quarter to understand if the same trend will be seen globally and in Nigeria.
The Middle East is close to the sedan to SUV tipping point, that was seen in the US only a few years ago. In the UAE, 39 percent of car buyers browsed sedans, compared to 33 percent of users who browsed large-size vehicles such as the estate, crossover, SUV and vans or minibuses. In Qatar, almost 40 percent of car buyers browsed for sedans, while 37 percent browsed for large-size vehicles. Saudi Arabia is leading the SUV charge with 37 percent of users browsing for SUVs, compared to 30 percent interested in sedans.
According to Carmudi, this research will play an important part in the automobile economy.
Carmudi was founded in 2013 and is currently available in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, and Zambia. The vehicle marketplace offers buyers, sellers and car dealers the ideal platform to find cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles online.
By Pita Ochai
[divider]