NETA Auto, a Chinese electric car brand has revealed plans to open an electric vehicle (EV) assembly plant in Kenya.
To kickstart this, NETA has opened its flagship store in Nairobi, its first store in Africa. The opening of the store also marked a new phase of EVs entering the African right-hand drive (RHD) market.
At the launch event earlier this month, Eric Lumallas, assistant to the CEO of Moja EV Kenya, the exclusive distributor of Neta cars in Africa, announced that local assembly of NETA cars is scheduled to commence in the next two months.
Neta plans to assemble 250 vehicles per month with the new plant.
NETA Auto’s star model, NETA V, has already debuted in Kenya, and models such as NETA AYA and NETA X will follow in the future.
In the next two years, NETA Auto says it plans to enter 20 countries, open 100 stores and achieve an annual sales volume of over 20000 units within three years in Africa.
‘’By establishing a high-quality service network and providing consumers excellent after-sales services, NETA Auto aims to become the leader of the new energy car manufacturers in the region.’’ the company says.
NETA joins several EV manufacturers who are showing interest in investing in Kenya thanks to the government’s National Electric Mobility Plan, which focuses on creating a more green transportation system and rolling out diverse initiatives for sustainable road traffic management.
A report by Kenya Power released this year revealed how the country has witnessed increased interest from local and international stakeholders keen on investing in and developing Kenya’s E-Mobility sector.
The e-mobility report noted that the growth of this sector in the country and the region will play an impactful role in the country’s economy, reducing the cost of transportation for the Kenyan masses. The report further estimated that there are more than 1,350 electric-powered vehicles on Kenyan roads, with 62% being motorcycles.
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