Rabat
- Moroccan Minister of Industry, Riad Mezour, does not travel to his meetings in the Rabat region except with an electric car with a Moroccan design that is only manufactured in the Kingdom. According to those close to him, the minister wants with this step to encourage citizens to use electric cars.
The minister addressed the deputies in the second chamber of parliament in one of the sessions, saying, "If you have some time, my car that is in the garage is an electric car that is only manufactured in Morocco and is popular in the whole world. I bought one, and whoever wants to own it, its price does not exceed 100 thousand dirhams" (about 9 dirhams). thousands of dollars).
The Kingdom of Morocco attaches great importance to the electric car production sector by providing a number of incentives to attract investments in this field, according to what the Minister of Industry and Trade said in the Moroccan Parliament last week.
He pointed out that the current production capacity in the electric car sector in Morocco ranges between 40,000 and 50,000 cars, which are manufactured annually, stressing that the current programs aim to raise this number to 120,000 cars within 3 years.
The production of electric cars in Morocco is a chapter in a long journey that the automotive industry has gone through since the end of the fifties until today, and culminated in Morocco becoming a continental and regional pioneer in this industry, so how did the story begin?
The journey began decades ago
The journey of the automotive industry in Morocco began in 1959 when the then state-owned Moroccan Automobile Building Association (SOMACA) established the first assembly plant in Casablanca, and this step was accompanied by an increase in customs duties on importing cars, which led to a sharp decline in imports.
In the sixties, Moroccans only bought cars that were assembled in the assembly lines of Somaca factories. In 1962, the assembly of Fiat cars and then Simca cars began in Moroccan factories. During that year, 2247 cars were produced, and Renault added to them in 1966 and then Savim in 1967, Peugeot in 1980 and Citroen in 1986.
After that, a series of factories were opened to produce and assemble vehicles by famous companies such as "Renault", "Peugeot" and "BYD".
In the 1990s, Morocco moved towards liberalizing the economy, and customs duties on cars were reduced, which led to an influx of used cars at low prices and poor quality, and as a result, the number of used cars that entered the country doubled, as in 1992 it reached about 70,000 cars over 5 years old. years compared to 35 thousand in 1991.
This trend caused a heavy blow to the "Somaca" company and its factories, as production declined from 20,000 cars annually to 8,482 cars in 1995, which made it threatened with disappearance, along with all the fabric of subcontracting.
In 1995, the Moroccan government signed an agreement with Fiat to assemble the first economic car, Fiat Uno, and at the same time increased customs duties on used cars.
In 2003, Sokama was privatized after the Moroccan state signed an agreement allowing Renault to become its main shareholder.
In March 2005, the "Renault" group acquired ownership of the Moroccan company, and the Somaca factory in Casablanca celebrated last November the production of its millionth car since Renault's acquisition of the majority of its shares.
The journey of the automotive industry in Morocco began in 1959 (Al-Jazeera)
dominance of two companies
Along with the Italian-American company, Stellantis, Renault dominates the automotive sector in Morocco, but there are other European, Chinese and American companies that have invested over the past decade in factories specializing in cables, batteries and aluminum parts.
The launch of the Tangier Auto City in 2012 and the establishment of the Atlantic Free Zone in Kenitra and the “Technopolis” Free Zone in Rabat-Salé were an important turning point in the automotive sector in Morocco, as these commercial zones increasingly attracted foreign investments, which gave a strong impetus to the “Made in Morocco” brand. .
The launch of the Industrial Acceleration Plan 2014-2020 in April 2014 consolidated the achievements of this dynamic sector and initiated the development phase of automotive ecosystems.
Continental and regional leader
Today, Morocco is considered a continental and regional leader in the automotive industry thanks to the rapid growth of this sector over the past decades, as it managed to establish its position as the first producer of cars on the African continent, as the fabric of the national auto industry sector consists of more than 250 suppliers of auto parts and two car manufacturers, Renault and Stelantis.
Thanks to these two factories, the Kingdom produces cars that are exported to more than 70 international destinations, with a local integration rate of about 69%, according to official data made by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to Al Jazeera Net.
In addition, two electric cars from the Stellantis group are manufactured exclusively in its factory in Kenitra: "Citroen EMI" and "Opel Rox E". In addition, "Renault" recently announced that it will manufacture an electric car called "Mobilis" in its factory in Tangiers, starting next year. .
According to the same source, Morocco has a production capacity equivalent to 960,000 cars annually, 510,000 for Renault in its factories in Tangier and Casablanca, and 450,000 for Stelantis in its factory in Kenitra, after the latter announced the doubling of its production capacity.
leadership factors
In turn, the Ministry of Industry and Trade attributes the effective and rapid development of the national auto sector in the past two decades to a series of proactive industrial strategies, in addition to several advantages enjoyed by Morocco, including:
A strategic location that makes the Kingdom one of the most important crossroads in the world linking Africa, Europe and America.
A dynamic business climate characterized by political and economic stability.
Qualified human capital to keep pace with investments and create added value.
High quality infrastructure, including industrial zones, ports, airports and highways.
Opening up to the global market with the signing of more than 50 free trade agreements that provide access to more than 1.3 billion consumers.
A financial and legislative support framework for investment projects (tax benefits, investment and training subsidies, etc.).
A cohesive and continuous industrial fabric based on highly effective and competitive industrial systems.
For his part, economist Abu Al-Arab Abdel Nabi believes in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net that there is an essential and important factor in this boom represented in the political and economic will of the higher authorities in the country, which decided, according to a development vision, to invest in the automotive industry, and engaged with all capabilities and qualifications to launch and make this industrial sector successful. the important.
The current production capacity in the electric car sector in Morocco ranges between 40 and 50 thousand cars annually (Al-Jazeera)
reflection on the economy
The rapid development of the automotive industry reflected positively on the national economy by creating dynamism in investments, providing job opportunities for young people, and enabling Morocco to earn significant revenues from hard currency.
According to the Ministry of Industry, the automotive industry’s exports amounted to 83.78 billion dirhams (about 8 billion dollars) in 2021, an increase of 15% compared to 2020, while expectations indicate that it will reach 100 billion dirhams (about 9 billion dollars) as an export volume by the end of 2022. It has created more than 190,000 job opportunities since 2014.
Unstoppable ambition
Within a few years, Morocco was able to rank third in terms of competitiveness after India and China, but the ambition does not stop, according to the Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Trade, as the Kingdom aspires to become the most competitive low-carbon car platform in the world, and the transition to electric mobility is a challenge. It must be raised to ensure the sustainability of the sector and the creation of new job opportunities.
In this regard, the ministry says it is currently working on bringing in an electric battery factory, which will put Morocco on the world map as a competitive platform for electric mobility.
As for the expert, Abu Al-Arab, he expects a promising future for this sector in a way that will enable Morocco to expand its manufacturing and export capacity by heading towards new markets.