Kenyan car buyers who have traditionally preferred to buy Toyotas are now turning to cheaper car models. According to the Kenya Auto Bazaar Association, the alternative vehicles buyers are going for include the Nissan and Mazda models.
Charles Munyori, the secretary-general of Kenya Auto Bazaar Association, told a local daily newspaper that the Nissan Sylphy, Mazda Axela and Mazda CX5 are three of the models that have seen a rise in demand.
He explained that the price of Toyota Premio has gone up to Sh. 2.2 million from Sh. 2 million in February 2020. The price of RAV4 is going for Sh. 3 million up from Sh. 2.8 million four months ago.
However, the Nissan Sylphy is selling for Sh. 1.5 million while Mazda Axela is going for at least Sh. 1.6 million. “We are seeing a shift where Kenyans are now moving from the popular brands such as Toyota Premio and RAV4 to other models. This shift has been occasioned by the high cost that these cars are now fetching at the market,” Munyori told the daily newspaper.
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Munyori added that with this shift, car dealers have slowed down on shipping in popular Toyota models. “Most of the car dealers are hardly bringing in Premio and RAV4 models because they are not moving and they will tie up money that they would need for importation of more vehicles,” he said.
In February this year, a Toyota Vitz that used to cost Sh. around Sh. 700,000 went up by 44 per cent to Sh. 1.07 million. The the cost of Nissan Note also went up by 39 percent to Sh. 938, 000.
The Toyota Rav 4 vehicle went up by over Sh. 750,000 to Sh. 2.84 million, a 52 percent jump from its previous selling price.
At the same time, the Toyota Harrier sold at Sh. 3.64 million, up from Sh. 2.22 million, with some sellers pricing it at nearly Sh. 4 million. The price of a Toyota Premio also increased to over Sh. 2 million from the previous price of Sh. 1.6 million.