Slowly and surely, the economic and industrial development of the Kingdom continues to progress. The automotive sector alone illustrates its growth.
Indeed, Morocco is firmly committed to a competitive automotive industry at the highest level, aiming to become one of the most competitive automotive industrial platforms in the world. The increase in its competitiveness could not be clearer and it is partly linked to the supply of green energy, which will be 30% cheaper than the current energy source.
As such, the consecration of the success of the Neo car (the first 100% electric Moroccan-made car), is a fact that confirms the development of our country. The new Moroccan vehicle (available on the local market in the coming weeks at an average price of 16,200 dollars) has made the Kingdom the leading exporter of these passenger cars to Europe. About 40,000 electric cars are currently produced per year.
Also, we have set ourselves the challenge of pushing the Moroccan automotive industry to increase its share of the domestic market. ” This Moroccan-made vehicle will mark a new stage, because it will bear a Moroccan name “, had indicated the Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour, noting that his supervision was working with Moroccan investors to increase the ” integration rate so that the pieces are also predominantly Moroccan “.
Mezzour, who was full of praise for the “Neo” 100% electric Moroccan vehicle, is aware that the Moroccan automotive sector is facing many challenges, such as attracting a third manufacturer to Morocco. However, he was reassuring about the future of this little gem, “for the time being, it will be aimed at the local market, but we are confident that it is destined for an international dimension“.
This enthusiasm finds comfort in the fact that the Kingdom is at the forefront of ultra-fast charging of electric car batteries thanks to the contribution of the Moroccan inventor and researcher, Rachid Yazami. Also the ambition is great in order to stimulate the electric sector within the car fleet, because the trend in Europe is towards electrification. This constitutes a major challenge for the national production sector at a time when the battery represents up to 30% of the cost of an electric car.
Morocco aims to be one of the most sustainable and respectful countries for the environment and climate change. The Moroccan automotive industry plans to reach an annual production capacity of around one million electric cars in the coming years. To do this and with the aim of ensuring the supply of the batteries, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced last July that it was negotiating with battery manufacturers to build a factory before the end of 2022.We have no choice but to become producers of electric batteries and we hope to be able to announce this in the very near future.“, had declared Mezzour.
Morocco, not lacking in materials for the production of electric batteries (sulphate, cobalt, phosphates, manganese, nickel, etc.), has everything to succeed in the bet. The automotive industry is the second most important sector in Morocco. Some 700,000 units are produced there thanks in particular to the industrial presence of car manufacturers, Renault and Stellantis in this case, as well as other firms such as Leoni, Denso, Valeo, Magna, Lear or Faurecia… and more of 250 suppliers. The turnover of the export sector should reach 100 billion dirhams in 2022 and the national aspiration is to double it for the next years.