Nissan embarks on Daring Africa expedition

At the beginning of April, a group of intrepid drivers will embark on an eight-country tour that will take them right up the length of the continent, all the way to Cairo. The Nissan Daring 2024 expedition will visit countries including Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya before ending in Egypt.

The expedition is a celebration of the Nissan brand and its African heritage. Nissan is the only wholly owned Japanese automotive manufacturer to have manufacturing plants in Egypt and South Africa and the Japanese manufacturer has been represented in Africa for more than 60 years. Nissan has been manufacturing vehicles for as long from its Rosslyn plant, which today is the company’s LCV manufacturing hub for the entire continent, complimented by the plant in Cairo, Egypt, which is its passenger vehicle assembly centre.

Now represented in every country on the African continent, Nissan recently opened up new markets, bringing north Africa into the Nissan Africa fold for the first time in the company’s 90-year history.
This forms part of Nissan’s mid-term growth strategy, which aims to unlock the potential that this continent has as the world’s last automotive frontier by providing the best line-up of models to answer Africa’s mobility needs in a sustainable, safe and aspirational manner.

The odyssey from South Africa, which is the African home of the Navara is a wonderful celebration of this vehicle which is built by Africans for Africans.

At the end of last year, Nissan revealed its expansion plans for the export of the South African built Navara to new markets including Algeria and Libya, with the Navara’s debut in Egypt imminent.
The fleet of Navara’s will be accompanied on their odyssey by a Nissan X-Trail which will act as a support vehicle and will also give the X-Trail and opportunity to prove its adventure credentials on some of Africa’s highways.

The expedition aims to prove that the entire Nissan Navara range is capable of traversing the severe road conditions that Africa has to offer by connecting the two manufacturing hubs on either side of the continent. The latest Nissan Navara features a reinforced chassis, updated suspension and the best in class roll over angle, making it the perfect vehicle for everyday adventures, continent crossing and continuing Nissan’s strong bakkie legacy in South Africa.

At the same time, the expedition is daring to breathe life into the concept of the African Continental Free Trade Area and show how the automotive sector holds the key to unlocking the potential of the African Century.

Africa is the world’s last remaining automotive frontier because of the low level of vehicle ownership with a motorisation average of 42 per 1000 in Africa compared to the global average of 182 vehicles per 1000 people.

The fully accessorised expedition ready Navara’s will be on display at selected Nissan dealerships before they depart on their journey, for the public to view.