A first in Morocco. May 15, 2023 was the occasion for the presentation of the car from the first Moroccan manufacturer “NEO Motors” and the hydrogen vehicle prototype “NamX”, whose interior design was created by Moroccan talents.
King Mohammed VI presided over a ceremony in Rabat to present the model of the first Moroccan carmaker NEO Motors and the prototype of a hydrogen-powered vehicle developed by a Moroccan. These two innovative projects will reinforce the promotion of the “Made In Morocco” label and consolidate the Kingdom’s position as a competitive platform for automotive production.
The presentation to the Sovereign of the car from “Neo Motors”, a company owned by Moroccan capital, and the prototype of a hydrogen-powered vehicle from the NamX company, named HUV (Hydrogen Utility Vehicle), underlines the Royal desire to encourage and promote pioneering national entrepreneurial initiatives and the creative capacities, particularly of Moroccan youth, that these projects embody.
These two industrial initiatives are fully in line with the Royal High Directions aimed at directing the private sector towards productive investment, particularly in cutting-edge and forward-looking sectors, and at stimulating the emergence of a new generation of businesses in the Kingdom.
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Neo Motors has set up an industrial unit at Ain Aouda (Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Region), to manufacture motor vehicles for the local and export markets, with a projected annual capacity of 27,000 units and a local integration rate of 65%.
Total investment in this project is estimated at 156 million dirhams ($16 million), and will ultimately create 580 jobs.
Final approval for the first vehicle was granted by the Agence ‘Nationale de la Sécurité Routière’ (National Agency of Road Security) in February 2023. The company has launched the pre-production phase, and planed to inaugurate the industrial unit in June and launch marketing.
This project, which will create Morocco’s first mass-market automotive brand, is being driven by national expertise. It relies primarily on the ecosystem of local automotive suppliers developed by the Kingdom.
As for NamX’s prototype hydrogen vehicle, it was designed in collaboration with leading Italian coachbuilder and designer Pininfarina. The vehicle’s interior design was created by Moroccan talent.
The HUV model will be supplied with hydrogen by a central tank supplemented by six removable capsules, guaranteeing a long range and facilitating hydrogen recharging in just a few minutes.
This pilot project places Morocco firmly in the global dynamic of developing new forms of transport that combine efficiency and respect for the environment.
On this occasion, His Majesty the King, may God assist Him, awarded the Wissam Al Kafaa Al Fikria to Nassim Belkhayat, founder and CEO of Neo Motors, and Faouzi Annajah, founder and CEO of NamX.