13th September, 2021
By Daniels Ekugo
There was excitement within the Smokin Hills Golf Resort at Ilara-Mokin, in Ondo State, as automotive enthusiasts, Toyota dealers and fans graced the Toyota Fleet Day Event.
During the two-day event, Toyota Nigeria Limited was able to showcase the on-road and off-road capabilities of the new Starlet and Hilux along special purpose tracks. It also allowed attendees to interact with the vehicles, get familiar with their features, ask questions as it relates to them and have a fun-filled day with the Toyota Nigeria team.
DAY 1: The Toyota Starlet Fleet Day
On Friday, the first day of the memorable event, willing guests took the re-birthed Toyota Starlet for test drives along the paved roads under the guidance of professional drivers.
The Friday event comes a week after Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL), the sole distributor of Toyota vehicles in Nigeria, relaunched the new Starlet to the excitement of its dealers, expectant customers, and members of the public.
The Managing Director of TNL, Mr Kunle Ade-Ojo who was represented at the event by the Head of Marketing at the TNL, Mr Andrew Ajuyah, said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this occasion of the New Toyota Starlet Fleet Day; particularly when viewed from the standpoint that the Starlet was launched exactly eight days ago into the Nigerian Automobile market. It is the latest in the stable of Toyota (Nigeria) Limited and the Starlet is a true Star in every sense of the word.”
Furthermore, he promised Toyota customers that Toyota (Nigeria) Limited will continue to invest in the local automobile industry and contribute to its growth. He also revealed that in a few months, TNL will launch its ultra-modern Service Workshop at Isolo in Lagos.
“This Workshop offers world-class after-sales service, a second-to-none Body and Paint shop, genuine spare parts and other services which include training of our dealers’ Technicians for them to match global standards in service delivery”
DAY 2: The Hilux Fleet Day
On Saturday 4th September, the second and final day of the event, Toyota Nigeria took its tested “workhorse”, the Hilux, for an offroading adventure to showcase why the truck sits atop the class of pickups.
“The Hilux as you all know is a workhorse. This apt description of the Hilux is based on the fact that the vehicle responds to the dictates of the road no matter how rough. It glides as it takes on some of the most challenging terrains headlong.
“Indeed, the vehicle which is also described as Beyond Tough for its mastery of inclement terrains stands above its peers in that segment. Little wonder it is the darling of many Nigerians.”
Reacting to the eye-opening event, Mr Adeoye Ojuoko, the founder of Work and Play Motorsport Events, agreed that the two Toyota vehicles paraded have unique features that give them an edge over their rivals.
“It is undoubtedly true that Toyota understands the Nigerian terrain and having tried these new products, I highly recommend them as I can see durability, optimised performance and many key features that they have brought with them.
Mr Ojuoko also spoke on the choice of Ilara-Mokin and how this event as well as previous events have helped tourism.
“Also, we are doing an off-road rally at the Smokin Hills, Ilara-Mokin because of the terrain and we are carving out a track there with the support of Chief Ade-Ojo.
“We are trying to look at the idea of creating a good environment for motorsport events as well as test drives.
“One major thing the automobile industry in Nigeria lacks is an avenue or a centre to compare the performance of different brands of vehicles.