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Chevrolet
Trailblazer, Tahoe hit Intermotors’ stable
By Moses Akaigwe
Friday, April 18, 2008
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| Photo:
Sun News Publishing |
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CFAO Intermotors is breaking new grounds. After four years
of selling sedans, the sole marketer of Chevrolet cars in
Nigeria is not just launching into sports utility vehicles
(SUVs) but doing it in three big ways – a typically
big America SUV, another (bigger) one and a comprehensively
upgraded after sales service complex.
Both (2008) Trailblazer and Tahoe are truly premium luxury
SUVs, and are arriving the local market at a time quite a
few competitors with new looks, inclusive Toyota’s Land
Cruiser, are angling for the top position; a situation which
is making the segment very interesting at the moment.
Introducing the duo, the managing director of CFAO Intermotors,
Mr. Graham Lowe, gleefully disclosed that with the big ones
joining the saloons and other Chevrolet vehicles in the stable,
“we now have a full range”. He also announced
that the company would play other vehicular aces in the course
of the year.
The Trailblazer, according to the general manager, Mr. Nanvin
Chander, arrived earlier, but was immediately bought by a
customer who fell desperately in love with it. This explains
why there was no unit of the vehicle to attract to itself
the keen attention that the bigger Tahoe exclusively earned
at the company’s showroom at Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, when
the two were introduced to the Press last week.
A 4.2 litre, six cylinder petrol engine SUV, the Trailblazer
has a four-speed automatic transmission as standard and seats
five persons comfortably.
Key standard features include: Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes,
electronic stability control system, auto-track 4x4 system,
and automatic locking rear differential.
Remarkable among the many innovative technological features
in the Trailblazer is the active fuel management technology
which enhances fuel economy, especially when not engaged in
active driving. Roof-mounted LCD screen with DVD player, leather
upholstery and a 17-inch alloy wheel, are also standard.
Tahoe, which looked every inch American in terms of size,
interior trim, and space, as well as its imposing and boxy
posture, instantly won many hearts as soon as it was shown
to the visitors. To Chander, it is the kind of vehicle that
any SUV lover who wants to look unique will go for. “It
looks different. It is new. Most people who have travelled
know it. It is also fully loaded at a good price”.
Tahoe has a 5.3 litre, eight cylinder engine mated to a (standard)
four-speed automatic transmission. Standard features include:
six-disc CD player with BOSE sound system, factory-installed
remote vehicle starter, ultrasonic rear parking assist, four-wheel
anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control system, tyre
pressure monitor, and auto-track 4x4.
Also inclusive are automatic locking rear differential, active
fuel management technology, Panasonic roof-mounted LCD screen
with DVD player, leather upholstery and 20-inch alloy wheels.
The vehicle accommodates seven occupants.
Not a few of the visitors were impressed with what they saw
in various sections of the after sales department when the
After Sales Manager, Mr. Gregory Misquith, guided them on
a brief tour which revealed arrays of service equipment, special
tools, tyre care tools and forklifts.
Lowe confirmed that Chevrolet cars have been doing well in
the Nigerian market, adding. “In the first quarter of
this year, we have exceeded the turnover we achieved for the
entire 2005 in terms of service”. Upgrading the after
sales facilities and beefing up the parts stock were aimed
at matching the performance of the vehicles in the market
with a reliable service support.
CFAO Intermotors last year opened a new office on Victoria
Island, Lagos ,and is moving into a new showroom in Port Harcourt,
a city which “is now a very important part of our operations”. |
