Morocco’s King Mohammed VI presided on Monday over the presentation ceremony of a model of the first Moroccan car brand and a hydrogen-powered vehicle prototype. The event was held at the Royal Palace in Rabat.
The projects, developed by Moroccan entrepreneurs, will strengthen the “Made in Morocco” label and establish the country as a competitive hub for automotive production.
Neo Motors has set up an industrial factory in Ain Aouda, southeast of the capital, to manufacture vehicles for the local market and for export, reported the MAP state news agency.
The factory is projected to produce 27,000 cars a year and create 580 jobs. Investment in the project is worth 156 million dirhams ($15.6 million).
In February 2023, the National Agency for Road Safety granted final approval for Neo Motors’ first vehicle. The company launched pre-production, with the plant’s inauguration scheduled for June 2023.
Neo Motors CEO Nassim Belkhayat said the newly unveiled car operates on benzine and is available with three doors, noting that it is the outcome of “the work of an enthusiastic team”.
The vehicle will be sold in the Moroccan market for prices ranging between 170,000-190,000 dirhams ($17,000-$19,000).
The prototype of the hydrogen vehicle, NamX, was designed in collaboration with Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, Pininfarina.
The HUV model will be supplied with hydrogen through a central tank that will be completed by six removable capsules, guaranteeing a battery capacity of up to 800 km and facilitating the hydrogen recharge in a few minutes.
The production of the car will start in late 2026 and will be sold in Morocco and exported to Europe and the US.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, King Mohammed VI honored Belkhayat and NamX President Faouzi Annajah with a medal of intellectual merit.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Industry and Trade Riad Mazour, who expressed the country’s pride in its latest car innovation.
