Ethiopia has unveiled its first locally assembled electric car, a joint venture between Korean auto giant Hyundai and Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie, the East African has reported.
Quoted in the report, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said: “As we transform Ethiopia’s greening and climate-resilient aspirations into concrete actions through the Green Legacy initiative and Sheger and Entoto Parks, I received the first electric car fully assembled in Ethiopia. No emission cars can help reduce pollution.”
The Hyundai Motor Company opened a 10 000-a-year vehicle capacity assembly plant in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last year, its first factory in East Africa.
While second-hand vehicles dominate sales in Ethiopia, Hyundai said it hoped locally assembled cars could prove attractive given the cost of imports due to high taxes.
According to the report, Ethiopia produces around 10 000 commercial and other vehicles a year for its home market. It imported more than 40 000 cars in 2017.
