No, viral photo of tricycle not made by Nigerian local car company Innoson

IN SHORT: Tricycles are popular in Nigeria, which is why a head-turning design would make news and be a feather in the country's manufacturing cap.

A photo of a souped-up tricycle has been shared on Facebook in Nigeria with the claim that it was manufactured by local carmaker Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM).

The post reads: "Innoson motors in Nnewi, Anambra state manufactures a new design of Keke Na Pepe. Wow, this is beautiful."

Innoson, the country's first local carmaker, is located in Nnewi, a commercial and industrial city in Anambra state in southeastern Nigeria.

Tricycles are used for commercial transport in Nigeria and are usually called "keke" or "keke napep". They are also a source of employment.

The same claim appeared on Facebook here, here, and here. Together, these posts have attracted hundreds of comments.

But is the viral photo of an Innoson tricycle? We checked.

Innosom unveiled its tricycle in a statement published on Facebook on 23 May 2022.

This tricycle was also shown by IVM in a livestream on 20 April 2023 but is different from the trike in the widely shared photo.

Tricycle prices are expected to drop once Innosom starts sales.

Cornel Osigwe, IVM's head of corporate communications, said in a 19 April 2023 tweet that the viral photo was "fake news".

This was retweeted by the company's official Twitter account.

"It is not from us," Obum Osigwe, IVM's general manager of sales, told Africa Check.

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