EV cars by Neta in Nakuru county during a showcasing event, [Photo: Moja EV Twitter]
Chinese automotive brand Neta has entered the Kenyan market, inching the nation’s dream of realizing sustainable green mobility closer to reality.
Neta announced its entry into the Kenyan market Wednesday, with Moja EV Kenya, a motor dealer, as its distributor.
Zhou Jiang, the overseas business general manager at Neta, told journalists in Nairobi, that the firm will initially offer the Neta V model, which will retail for 4 million Kenyan shillings (about 31,000 U.S. dollars) and has a range of about 380 km on a full charge.
“The electric vehicle is ideal for the Kenyan market because it offers affordability combined with low operational costs compared to conventional vehicles,” Zhou said.
Zhou said that Neta chose to establish a presence in Kenya because it is a regional economic hub and will serve as a gateway for exporting e-vehicles to the rest of the African continent, Zhou added.
Wang Aiping, chief executive officer of Moja EV Kenya, said they will initially import about 160 vehicles from China over the next month and plan to partner with Kenya’s Associated Vehicle Assemblers to assemble 250 e-vehicles every month.
Wang also mentioned plans to begin exporting Chinese e-vehicles from Kenya to the rest of Africa by the end of the year.
He said that electric automobiles have advantages, relying on batteries for movement and lacking internal combustion engines, which reduces the need for regular mechanical maintenance.
This as local Kenyan vehicle assemblers urged for the enactment of Kenyan National Automotive Policy to boost production of locally assembled cars and make affordable the prices of locally assembled cars.
According to Joy Wanyonyi, the business development manager at Associated Vehicle Assemblers in Kenya, the reliance on the importation of second hand vehicles is still high among Kenyans owing to the current fiscal policy on duty.
Associated Vehicle Assemblers are among a host of partners Neta EV has collaborated with in their quest to dominate Kenyan market.