To push JAC, the company has set up a second line company known as Elizade Autoland, an apparent move not to dilute the Elizade relationship with Toyota.It wouldn’t be the Elizade Group’s first experience with trucks though as another group company known as ATC has been marketing Volvo trucks in the country for awhile now. Still, for Elizade’s founder and chief strategist, Chief Micheal Ade-Ojo  its been hard to ignore the growing influx and appeal of Chinese auto brands.

Elizade Autoland is already putting its marketing savvy at play in trying to move JAC here.

According to the company’s managing director, Elizade would give out JAC sedan cars to a limited number of its longstanding customers. The idea is for them to use the cars for a period of three months after which they can decide whether to retain them or return them to Elizade. ”it’s a trial will convince you’ strategy. This appears appropriate given that Chinese brand products are typically, perceived with some skepticism when it comes to high quality, and in the case of a big ticket item as a car, durability and reliability.

In spite of the use of engines from well known brand names from Japan or South Korea—Toyota, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, or Mazda and Hyundai —Chinese automobile brands are yet to prove themselves in the Nigerian market. Even so, quite a number of Chinese auto brands are very much in the Nigerian market. These include— Great Wall(trucks and cars), Brilliance(semi-luxury sedan),Chery,(which is marketed by Hyra Motors) and Chana Trucks, which is enjoying a growing cachet of users.

How far Elizade can push JAC will become clearer in coming months