“AFTER 18 YEARS: MICHELIN PLANS GRAND RETURN TO NIGERIA WITH STRATEGIC COMEBACK”
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS–French tyre giant Michelin is making a comeback to Nigeria 18 years after shutting down its production plant in Port Harcourt. The company aims to rebuild its brand visibility, strengthen local presence, and position Nigeria as a key growth hub in Sub-Saharan Africa .
A New Chapter
Michelin’s return is driven by the potential for growth in Nigeria’s tyre market, valued at $820 million and projected to hit $1.12 billion by 2030. The company sees an opportunity in the market’s challenges, dominated by low-cost brands .
Market Insights
– Growing demand : Nigeria’s 40 million-strong vehicle fleet and expanding road networks drive demand for tyres.
– Budget-friendly trend : 80% of Nigerian consumers buy budget tyres, mostly from Asia.
– Competition : Michelin aims to regain its market share and compete with dominant low-cost brands .
What’s Next?
Michelin’s strategic comeback could reshape the Nigerian tyre industry. The company’s plans for brand visibility, local presence, and growth in Nigeria are set to bring new dynamics to the market .
However, Michelin MD Amaury Vadon was quoted to have said, “It’s true that after the shutdown, many Nigerians thought Michelin had left the country. But Michelin never truly left. We may have stopped manufacturing, but we remained commercially active and are now more present than ever before.
“We are not importers or distributors. We have Michelin employees in Nigeria. That’s a key difference. We believe in having people who can explain our value, our innovation, and why Michelin products matter.”
Towards the strategic comeback, it’s revealed, Michelin has restructured its operations in Nigeria, transitioning from an export model to a fully owned local agency. The company now maintains an office on Victoria Island, Lagos, staffed by Michelin employees who oversee direct sales, marketing, and customer engagement.
The company’s renewed focus is on two major growth segments: passenger car tyres and beyond-road activities such as agriculture, construction, and port operations. The size of the passenger car tyre market in Nigeria for 2025 is estimated at over $0.82 billion for producer and importer revenues, with passenger car tyres being the dominant segment in the nation’s overall tyre market.
Popular passenger car tyres in Nigeria, such as 195/65R15 and 205/70R15, measure about 195–205 millimetres in width and fit 15-inch wheels.
Their proportions and related variants are valued for their strength and reliability on rough local roads.
Nigeria’s evolving automotive landscape, with a growing preference for larger, high-end vehicles, drives demand for premium tyres in the 18-inch-and-above category, and confidence already built by the current government’s bold policies of economic reforms, ongoing road construction and infrastructure projects which have created new opportunities in heavy-duty and off-road segments, must have inform the company’s decision to fully return to the country.
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