The Kenyan vehicle market segment appears to be quite busy. Earlier this week we wrote to you that Toyota Tsusho had taken full control of Kenyan motor vehicle dealers DT Dobie and CICA Motors after buying all the shares from their parent company, CFAO Group. Well Indian vehicle manufacture, Ashok Leyland, wants a piece of the Kenyan market. Ashok Leyland will be setting up a vehicle assembly plant in Kenya.
This revelations were made by the Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary, Adan Mohamed, via his official Twitter handle. The following is the remark:
“Ashok Leyland is planning to establish an assembly plant in Kenya following engagement with their leaders in India.”
– Adan Mohamed, Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary via Twitter
The firm is focused on producing 1,200 buses a year. By setting camp in Kenya, Ashok Leyland seeks to expand its business into the African market. The following are the remarks of Ashok Leyland’s Senior Vice President as quoted by Indian daily, The Times of India:
“We are setting up a bus assembly plant in Kenya through a wholly-owned subsidiary. This plant will have an annual capacity of 1,200 buses.”
-T Venkataraman, Ashok Leyland Senior Vice President (Global Buses)
Ashok Leyland has made a name for itself by assembling buses and huge commercial trucks. The company is part of the multi-billion dollar Hindujah Group of India that operates in more than 100 countries globally.
Will Ashok Leyland shift the scales in the Kenyan new vehicle market? Only time will tell. Currently, Toyota Tsusho controls a total market share of 24.5 percent in Kenya’s new vehicle market, second behind leaders General Motors East Africa, who have a market share of 34.5 percent.
Kenya has established itself strategically as an investment hub for companies focused on expanding their presence in sub-Saharan Africa. It was just the other day that Burger King set foot.
