Moroccans learned on Monday of a model of the country’s first local car, which project officials said would enhance the “Made in Morocco” brand and establish the Kingdom’s position as a platform competitive for the automotive industry.
Monday in Rabat, the King of Morocco Mohammed VI presided over the presentation ceremony of the first car model produced in Morocco, as well as the prototype of a hydrogen vehicle developed by a Moroccan.
What are the specifications and capabilities of the homemade car? And what is its expected price? And when will you walk the streets of Morocco? Will it be marketed globally?
Features of the car “New Motors”
A Moroccan company called “New Motors” has overseen the project to produce the local car, which will be directed to the local market and export.
Nassim Belkhayat, founder and managing director of New Motors, says that the idea of manufacturing a local car emerged with the launch in Morocco of an industrial system for the supply of automotive engines, considering that this step constituted a qualitative leap in the automotive industry in the Kingdom. .
And Belkhayat adds to “Sky News Arabia” that Morocco has an industrial system that allows it to produce Moroccan cars, whether related to the production of electrical wires, mechanics, seats, tires and others. automotive components.
And the spokesperson continues, that the local car for the public was produced on the basis of a local gasoline engine car manufacturing system and is characterized by economy of consumption.
Belkhayat reveals that the Moroccan car, which was manufactured with a local production rate of 65%, consists of three doors and a retractable roof, and is intended for use as a means of transport in the city center, in traveling or in rural areas.
It is considered that among the advantages of this new vehicle, which has a capacity of 350 liters, is the availability of spare parts which are manufactured locally within the industrial unit of Ain Odeh (center of the country).
Price and time to market
Nesm Belkhayat suspects that the price of this car will fluctuate between 170,000 dirhams (about $16,700) and 190 dirhams (about $18,700), considering this price to be the most competitive among this class of cars.
And the spokesperson continues, that he will begin to market this new vehicle at the local level, from next July, provided that it is oriented in the future towards the African and European market.
Belkhayat confirms that the production capacity of this car, whose factory was opened in 2021, exceeds 3,000 units annually, explaining that this number should increase according to local and external demand.
He explains that the model that was presented to the King at the Royal Palace in Rabat is a gasoline-powered car model, while a four-wheel-drive version with an electric motor will be available in the future.
production difficulties
The road to production of the first Moroccan-made car, which relies on a local car preparation system developed by the Kingdom, was not rosy, but the project managers had to face many challenges. many difficulties and obstacles before achieving this unprecedented feat.
The director of “New Motors” says: “Entering the club of car manufacturers was not easy, because the work team had to face many technical and material difficulties which were overcome thanks to the support and confidence in local skills and a business climate conducive to investment in the area where the Kingdom has become a world leader.” continental level.
Belkhayat confirms that this car, which will be ready for delivery in less than two months, has successfully passed all the tests which allowed it to obtain final approval to be marketed to the public.
In February 2023, the National Road Safety Agency granted final approval to the first Moroccan car brand, before the launch of the first production series.
royal honor
After displaying the Moroccan-made car at the Royal Palace in Rabat, King Mohammed VI of Morocco awarded Nassim Belkhayat, founder and director of New Motors, the medal of intellectual competence.
Belkhayat considers the royal honor to be a tribute to all workers in the automotive sector and a boost to replace more efforts and encourage national entrepreneurs in this sector, which is experiencing remarkable development in the Kingdom.
On the same occasion, Fawzi Najah, the founder and general manager of the company “NAMEX”, received the Medal for Intellectual Efficiency and presented to the King the prototype of a hydrogen vehicle that he had developed and baptized the HUV (Hydrogen Utility Vehicle).
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