Nasr, Chinese "Dongfeng" to Produce 25,000 E-Vehicles

The Ministry of Public Business Sector revealed that the next few years will witness the signing of the Nasr Automotive Industry partnering contracts with the Chinese company "Dongfeng" to produce 25,000 electric passenger cars annually, which is a breakthrough for the car industry in Egypt and an export gateway to Africa and neighboring countries.

The Ministry explained that negotiations are underway with the Chinese company ahead of the agreement, the most important of which is starting with a 50% local component, while gradually striving to reach 100%. Also a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Egyptian Bright Skies company is currently being signed to establish a research and development (R&D) unit to help localize technology.

The Ministry stated that this comes in light of the global trend towards a shift toward the use of clean energy, reducing the level of pollution, and within the framework of the Ministry's efforts to revive the Nasr Automotive Company.

Hisham Tawfiq, Minister of Public Sector visited China and held meetings with a number of officials and manufacturers, including Dongfeng regarding cooperation in e-vehichles production, given that China is one of the most developed in this field.

"The car is reliable and has a charge range of 400 kilometers with a maximum speed of 145 kilometers per hour. The government will provide incentives to the buyer according to global patterns, and the price of the future car will be set at 360,000," the minister pointed out.

"The new electric car will save EGP 8,000 for every 10 thousand kilometers," he added.

In June 2020, a MoU was signed via virtual conference between the Nasr Automotive Company and Dongfeng to produce the "Nasr E70" car, as the Chinese company's headquarters is located in Wuhan.

A study was conducted between the two sides, which technically recommended the establishment of the factory with a maximum capacity of 50,000 cars annually, starting in the first year with 25,000 cars, as production is scheduled to start at the end of 2021 and will be available in the Egyptian market by the first half of 2022.

The car has distinct specifications, including 400 km in a single charge, with a maximum speed of 145 km per hour, and it only needs 10.8 seconds to reach a speed of 100 km from zero, and with a trunk size of 5.2 liters, while the battery charge reaches 80% with the fast charger in only 30 minutes.

The ministry confirmed that the project’s implementation procedures and the requirements for implementing a package of incentives required to encourage the demand for electric cars are being followed in coordination with the relevant ministries, as well as a coordination with the Taxi Drivers Association and private transport companies.

The project aims to place Egypt on the map of the car manufacturing countries and revive the Nasr company and its brand, which contributes to reducing imports, opening the way for export, reducing the level of pollution, striving to manufacture 100% local Egyptian cars.

In terms of economic efficiency, the electric vehicle saves fuel and maintenance costs, as well as lowering greenhouse emissions and improving air quality.

Dongfeng is one of the largest car manufacturers in China with a production capacity of 3.6 million cars annually, and was nominated to the ministry by the Chinese government.