The Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Auto Plaza Limited, Jihad Hijazi has commended the government’s efforts in building the automobile industry.
According to him, the government has introduced policies that the sector players seek to benefit from, whilst providing employment for a huge number of Ghanaians.
This forms part of efforts in achieving the aim of making Ghana the hub for Automotive Industry in the West African sub-region.
Mr Hijazi spoke to Citi Business News on the sidelines of the launch of Hyundai’s two new second-generation vehicles; the 2021 Hyundai Grand i10 sedan and the 2021 Hyundai Creta.
He remarked, “The government is doing quite a lot today to help the serious players in the market. They have introduced an assembly policy, where if you invest into the system, you’ll reap the reward in terms of lower prices so, at the end of the day, we invest into an assembly plant, and we are able to produce at a much lower price because we don’t pay duties and taxes, but we rather employ many more people in the process. So the government has really made it conducive for serious players to reap the benefits of investing into the industry.”
Auto Plaza Limited, the authorized partner of Hyundai Motor Company, unveiled the two vehicles in Accra on Thursday, November 19, 2020.
The event brought together stakeholders of the brand who were expectant of the new addition in the auto market.
According to Mr. Hijazi, these second-generation vehicles inculcate massive improvements and technological advancements for the same price as the previous versions.
The 2021 Hyundai Grand i10 sedan
The car was produced to take over the i10 has some key features such as 1248 CC Kappa MPI petrol engine. 4-speed automatic transmission, a trip computer, keyless entry, max power 87/6000 (PS/RPM), a Bluetooth hands-free system with voice recognition, among others.
Jihad Hijazi explained the Grand i10 is 15 percent larger than the i10, and consumes less fuel.
The 2021 Hyundai Creta
The 5-seater SUV comes with various eye-catching elements to the interior and exterior designs. It has a high-tech convenience, safety features that offer an enjoyable, luxurious and a relaxed lifestyle for the driver.
Some highlighted features of the 1.5 litre Creta includes the 1,500 in-line 4-cylinder 16 valve petrol engine, 6-speed automatic transmission with tip-tronic sport mode and an electric motor-driven power steering system with tilt function.
Prices
When asked about how affordable the cars are, Mr. Hijazi explained that, “The Grand i10 starts at low thirteens (US$12,900). The Creta starts at low twenty-threes (US$23,000). This is where they start at an entry level. We do have flexible payment terms for anybody who is creditworthy for credit.”
