Daud Olatunji
Nigeria imported motor vehicles and automotive parts worth $602 million from the United States between January and May 2026, representing a 41.3 per cent increase compared to the $426 million recorded during the same period in 2025.
The latest figures, obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, indicate a sustained rise in vehicle imports despite persistent concerns over high automobile prices in the country.
Data showed that passenger cars accounted for the bulk of the imports, with shipments rising by 45.5 per cent to $454 million during the five-month period, up from $312 million in the corresponding period of last year.
Similarly, imports of automotive parts climbed by 41.9 per cent to $122 million, compared to $86 million in 2025.
However, imports of trucks, buses and special-purpose vehicles declined by 10.3 per cent, dropping from $29 million to $26 million.
On a monthly basis, Nigeria imported $124 million worth of vehicles and automotive parts from the U.S. in May 2026, slightly below the $131 million recorded in April.
Passenger car imports fell marginally from $98 million in April to $93 million in May, while imports of trucks, buses and special-purpose vehicles dropped from $7 million to $6 million. Automotive parts imports remained unchanged at $26 million during the two months.
Year-on-year, however, the figures reflected continued growth. Total imports in May rose by 30.5 per cent, increasing from $95 million in May 2025 to $124 million in May 2026.
Passenger car imports also increased by 32.9 per cent, rising from $70 million to $93 million, while automotive parts imports grew by 36.8 per cent, from $19 million to $26 million.
The report further showed that total U.S. exports of motor vehicles and automotive parts to all countries declined by 4.7 per cent during the review period, falling from $69.32 billion in the first five months of 2025 to $66.08 billion in the corresponding period of 2026.
Passenger car exports dropped to $19.52 billion from $22.04 billion, while exports of trucks, buses and special-purpose vehicles rose marginally to $10.99 billion from $10.94 billion.
Automotive parts remained the largest export segment, although shipments declined slightly from $36.33 billion to $35.56 billion.
Among global destinations, Canada remained the largest importer of U.S. automotive products with $24.70 billion, followed by Mexico with $16.83 billion and Germany with $3.72 billion.
Within Africa, Nigeria emerged as the continent’s largest importer of U.S. vehicles and automotive parts, recording $602 million in imports during the period, ahead of South Africa, which imported $313 million worth of vehicles and parts.
The development comes amid signs of increased activity at Nigeria’s seaports.
The Nigerian Ports Authority had disclosed in its first quarter 2026 operational performance report that vehicle traffic surged by 67 per cent, with 58,870 units handled during the period, compared to 35,262 units in the corresponding quarter of 2025.
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