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Brilliance
grandor, splendor hit Hyra Motors’ stable
By Moses Akaigwe
Friday, May 09, 2008
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| Photo:
Sun News Publishing |
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Though the improvised oval test ground near the Astro Turf
inside the premises of Government College, Ikoyi, Lagos, was
not the best of drive tracks, it nevertheless provides enough
challenges for some new cars to prove their Chinese mettle
as the cream of motoring journalists put them on ‘trial’
recently.
The new vehicles were some units of manual and automatic transmission
Splendor, product of Brilliance Auto - a Chinese auto maker
represented in Nigeria by Hyra Motors. And did they impress?
In terms of cornering ability, Splendor won as many hearts
as it did with its sheer elegance and poise.
The car demonstrated that its braking distance was good for
safety.
Sound proofing in the Splendor was splendid which explains
why even when the accelerator pedal was slightly stepped on,
the rev of the engine was hardly audible. The ‘silence’
of the engine totally belied its power a little bit of which
manifested while the car was being driven round the test spot.
But perhaps, the best part of the Splendor is its interior
trim. Executive may be the best word to apply here in describing
the ambience of the cabin. And with the air-conditioner functioning
superbly, borrowing the word of a journalist, the cabin of
the Splendor is a tribute to the craftsmanship of the Brilliance
engineers.
With Splendor’s performance that Saturday afternoon,
there is no doubt that the Brilliance brand will follow the
successful course charted by another Chinese brand (Geely)
in Hyra Motors stable just as easily as hot knife goes through
butter.
Available in 1.8 litre manual and 2.0 litre automatic, the
Splendor is accompanied in its drive into the Nigerian market
by two bigger sisters Grandor and Zhonghua, both of which
were not present during the test drive two weekends ago, but
according to the managing director of Hyra, Mr. Seyi Oyinlola,
the trio are some of the best vehicles ever made in China.
“These cars are coming out of the same production line
as BMW… no one will believe they are from China”,
Oyinlola remarked, stating that Hyra Motors was being careful
not to introduce too many Brilliance models at the same time.
The tropicalised vehicles are backed with a warranty of three
years or 100,000 kilometers.
Zhonghua’s state-of-the-art design is reflected in the
lines of the diamond shaped headlights and the rounded rear
lights. Additional bodywork protection is provided in its
unique anti-collision door strips in a colour to match the
bodywork.
It also has its fair share of safety systems. An on-board
light sensor automatically adjusts the intensity of the vehicles
lights to suit the driving environment. Inside, a six-disc
DVD player is fitted with hi-fi speakers and a 6.5”
high-definition LCD screen, offering an extraordinary standard
of in-car entertainment.
The Hyra boss explained that next to their quality, the obvious
advantage the Brilliance vehicles are driving in with are
competitive prices. For instance, while the Grandor is available
at N3, 6 million, other executive sedans in its class are
priced far above N4 million, the guests were told. And to
make ownership of the cars easier, the marketer has gone into
partnership with bank to enable buyers make 10 percent down
payment and have the balance of the cost spread over many
months.
With A1, another Brilliance offering hitting the stable in
the next couple of months, Hyra Motors may well be on course
to meet the target of 1,000 vehicles this year. The company
has also embarked on a network development project which will
see more showrooms and after sales facilities in Lagos, Abuja
and Asaba in a matter of weeks.
After sales activities, it was learnt, are coordinated by
Femi Elutide, the workshop manager said to be “Geely
and Brilliance-certified”.
Meanwhile, as an incentive to buyers and as part of an introductory
package, Hyra Motors is dangling a reward of two nights for
two in a top hotel anywhere in the world for purchase of a
Splendor, while any buyer of Grandor gets seven nights free
stay for four.
The Brilliance models will be some of the new cars to be showcased
at the 10th Abuja International Auto Show which opens on Wednesday,
May 14 at the Eagle Square.
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