Chinese automobile brand Jetour has appointed W Motors as its authorised distributor in Nigeria, marking a major step in the company’s expansion strategy across the African automotive market.
The partnership was formally unveiled at a ceremony in Lagos, bringing together Jetour’s global vehicle development expertise and W Motors’ local market knowledge. Both companies said the collaboration is aimed at delivering technologically advanced vehicles designed to meet Nigerian road conditions and consumer expectations.
As part of the agreement, Jetour Nigeria officially launched the Jetour G700 at the brand’s flagship showroom in Lagos. Vice President of Jetour International, Yuan Anguo, who led the company’s delegation to the event, described Nigeria as a key market in Jetour’s global growth plans.
“Jetour has globalised its research and development operations to ensure our vehicles meet the needs of different markets.
Nigeria is very important to us, and this partnership with W Motors reflects our long-term commitment to the country,” Yuan said.
He disclosed that the company plans to introduce additional models into the Nigerian market, including a pickup truck, as part of efforts to strengthen its presence and grow market share.
“Our goal is to provide products that combine performance, technology and durability, especially for markets where road and terrain conditions demand more from vehicles,” Yuan added.
Chief Executive Officer of W Motors, Wadih Nasrallah, said the company had made significant investments to ensure strong after-sales support for Jetour customers nationwide.
“We understand that confidence in a brand goes beyond the vehicle itself. That is why we have put in place a reliable spare parts supply system, trained technical personnel, and a customer-focused after-sales structure to support Jetour owners across Nigeria,” Nasrallah said.
He also highlighted Jetour’s seven-year unlimited mileage warranty, describing it as the first of its kind in the African automotive market and a sign of the brand’s confidence in the quality and durability of its vehicles.
The Jetour G700 is positioned as a luxury hybrid all-terrain SUV built for both city driving and demanding off-road environments. It is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine paired with two electric motors, delivering a combined output of 904 horsepower and 1,135 Nm of torque. The vehicle accelerates from 0 to 100 kmph in 4.6 seconds.
Jetour said the G700 offers a total driving range of between 800 and 1,000 kilometres, a wading depth of 900 millimetres, and seven intelligent off-road driving modes designed to handle a wide range of terrains.
Inside, the six-seater cabin focuses on comfort and technology, featuring massage seats, healthy air systems, and a multi-screen intelligent cockpit. The vehicle also comes with four-screen interaction, a Snapdragon-powered voice control system, and advanced connectivity features.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) have warned that enforcing a ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small PET bottles could erase more than N400bn in investments across Nigeria’s alcoholic beverages value chain.
The warning comes amid renewed enforcement efforts by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) targeting the production and sale of sachet alcohol nationwide.
In a joint article released on Monday, the Director-General of NECA, Adewale Oyerinde, and the Director-General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, cautioned that abrupt regulatory actions could worsen unemployment and drive economic activity into informal and unregulated markets.
They said the wines and spirits value chain supports hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs, spanning manufacturing, packaging, logistics, agriculture, and retail.
“Research from the Food and Beverage Division of NECA and MAN shows that the sector directly and indirectly supports more than five hundred thousand jobs,” they stated.
“These jobs span manufacturing plant workers, quality control technicians, distribution personnel, logistics drivers, warehouse and botanicals, and providers of packaging materials such as glass and staff, retail operators, hospitality employees, and farmers supplying grains and plastics. Investments linked to production lines, packaging technology, and logistics tailored to sachet and small PET formats alone are estimated to exceed N400bn.”
According to the associations, the combined value of production, distribution, and allied services in the wines, spirits, and broader beverages sector exceeded N2tn in revenue in 2024, contributing significantly to excise duties, tax receipts, and manufacturing activity.
They warned that factory shutdowns, product seizures, and sudden compliance demands could undermine investor confidence.
“Needless disruptive enforcement actions like factory shutdowns, output losses, product seizures, and abrupt compliance demands undermine investor confidence and risk hollowing out formal employment, pushing economic activity into informal and unregulated sectors where tax contributions and worker protections are absent,” they said.
Oyerinde and Ajayi-Kadir stressed that both organisations support public health objectives and the prevention of underage drinking.
“To be clear, both organisations are committed to and recognise the importance of protecting public health and preventing underage drinking in any form,” they said, adding that regulation should be evidence-based and proportionate.
They argued that banning sachet alcohol produced by registered companies would not curb abuse or underage consumption.
“The ban on alcoholic beverages in sachet, produced by duly registered and regulated companies in Nigeria, will not address the problem of alcohol abuse and consumption by minors,” they said.
“It will only open the floodgates for unregulated, smuggled and unwholesome variants, while at the same time, lead to job losses, loss of investment, loss of government revenues, value chain disruption and decimation of livelihoods.”
The associations also raised concerns over regulatory inconsistency, noting that earlier directives had called for the suspension of the ban to allow stakeholder engagement.
“This regulatory inconsistency has left operators, investors, and workers uncertain about the rule of law. It undermines confidence in Nigeria’s regulatory environment, discourages investment, and erodes trust between government, regulators, and the private sector,” they said.
They called for a halt to enforcement, urging regulators to focus on access control, public education, retail-level enforcement, and stronger age verification.
“All alcoholic products now affected by the ban were previously tested, registered, and approved by NAFDAC following established technical protocols… To categorise such products as inherently dangerous without presenting new and detailed scientific evidence creates a fundamental inconsistency,” they added.
