HARARE: second-hand vehicle imports into the country remain static owing to the difficult economic conditions facing Zambian consumers, says Be Forward.
And HND-Be Forward says their physical presence in Zambia has helped to clamp down on cyber-related fraud.
HND-Be Forward, which has been operating in the Zambian automobile industry for around two years, sells a range of second-hand vehicles imported from Japan and offers car-related services.
HND-Be Forward general manager Victor Sangambo said the company’s car imports into Zambia are currently being surpassed by Zimbabwe owing to a difficult economic period for Zambian consumers.
“On a monthly basis, Be Forward sends about 3,500 vehicles to Zambia. Initially, we were topping that list to be the highest selling in the region but now we have been surpassed by Zimbabwe; a lot of units are now going to Zimbabwe maybe because of the [weakening] economy,” he said in an interview in Lusaka.
Sangambo explained that while the company has been pushing to have its numbers boosted in this country, unit imports have remained static owing to the harsh economic conditions.
“It is quite a big number, but we intend to surpass that number. For a long time now, we were ranging about 3,500 [units] and we hoped to up that number. But unfortunately, because of what is happening in the economy, we have remained static as at now,” he said, adding that the company hopes Zambia reclaims its top position.
And Sangambo said since the company established its physical presence in 2013, it has helped to tackle fraud-related activity by protecting online users who purchase vehicles.
“We decided to have a physical presence in Zambia because we realised that so many people wanted to own cars. I think we deserve a pat on the back because now it is rare that you can get complaints that money has been stolen from a customer who was trying to buy a car from overseas,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sangambo said the company has helped to bridge the gap between consumers of used cars and brand new vehicles.
“We have bridged that gap where everyone can drive a car because it is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity,” said Sangambo, adding that increased lending facilities available to consumers have also helped to maintain second-hand car sales on the local market.
