Foton plans comeback in auto market

Foton offices in Nairobi before it collapsed. file PHOTO | NMG

What you need to know:

  • Foton is set to launch two models — Sauvana (an SUV) and Auman GTL (prime mover) — on Thursday in Nairobi at a function to be presided over by the automaker’s executives and Chinese embassy officials.

Chinese automaker Beiqi Foton Motor is making a return to the local market after its maiden operations, through Foton East Africa, floundered.

The multinational is set to launch two models — Sauvana (an SUV) and Auman GTL (prime mover) — on Thursday in Nairobi at a function to be presided over by the automaker’s executives and Chinese embassy officials.

It was not immediately clear if Foton will be selling the vehicles directly or if it has appointed another dealer.

The multinational’s re-entry comes after the implosion of Foton East Africa last year when its vehicles were seized by the taxman and its assembly plant put on auction by a bank for default.

The dealer’s collapse came after it failed to secure a sizeable share of the local market where other Chinese brands such as Chery, JMC, Sinotruck and Grand Tiger have used relatively lower pricing to gain ground.

The firm’s failure was a breakaway from the experience of other Chinese multinationals that have bagged large contracts, especially from the government.