i ▁bus , ▁J etta ▁and ▁Pass at . ▁The ▁company ' s ▁vehicle ▁was ▁popular ▁among ▁the ▁middle ▁class ▁in ▁the ▁country . ▁ ▁The ▁other ▁major ▁passenger ▁vehicle ▁manufact urer ▁is ▁Pe uge ot ▁Autom obile ▁of ▁Niger ia ▁also ▁known ▁as ▁P AN . ▁Like ▁Volks wagen , ▁P AN ▁began ▁production ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 5 ▁with ▁inputs ▁sh ipped ▁in ▁bits ▁and ▁pieces ▁from ▁abroad . ▁The ▁equ ity ▁distribution ▁was ▁Pe uge ot ▁Cit ro en ▁( 4 0 % ), ▁Niger ian ▁government ▁( 3 5 % ), ▁K ad una ▁State ▁( 1 0 %) ▁and ▁Niger ian ▁Indust rial ▁Development ▁Bank ▁( 5 %). ▁At ▁on set , ▁the ▁cars ▁were ▁pr iced ▁afford ably ▁and ▁it ▁became ▁a ▁popular ▁car ▁among ▁the ▁middle ▁class . ▁Production ▁rose ▁from ▁ 2 , 2 5 9 ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 5 ▁to ▁ 3 5 , 0 0 0 ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 9 ▁to ▁ 4 8 , 2 3 5 ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 0 . ▁The ▁company ▁started ▁with ▁the ▁ 5 0 4 ▁model ▁and ▁later ▁introduced ▁the ▁ 5 0 5 ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 0 . ▁But ▁when ▁the ▁economy ▁went ▁through ▁a ▁dow nt urn , ▁partly ▁caused ▁by ▁drop ▁in ▁oil ▁prices , ▁newly ▁introduced ▁fis cal ▁policy ▁such ▁as ▁foreign ▁exchange ▁and ▁import ▁controls ▁made ▁it ▁hard ▁for ▁manufact ur ers ▁to ▁source ▁foreign ▁currency ▁making ▁the ▁cost ▁of ▁production ▁rise