Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 18 Overview: Chinese electric vehicles are favored in the Middle East
Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Teng
As a traditional oil producing area, many countries in the Middle East have seen significant changes in their perception of new energy vehicles in recent years. Especially with the increasing awareness of environmental protection and the encouragement and guidance of government policies, the sales of new energy vehicles in the Middle East countries have increased significantly. Among them, the electric vehicles made in China are favored by more and more industry insiders and ordinary consumers in the Middle East by virtue of their high configuration and high cost performance.
In Jordan, the sales of Chinese brand electric vehicles are rising. Nasser, the automotive industry representative of the Jordanian Free Zone Investor Committee, told Xinhua News Agency that in 2019, only 72 Chinese new energy vehicles were cleared from the Zarqa Free Zone, an important Jordanian automobile import area, and that in 2022 and 2023, the number of new energy vehicles increased to 12820 and 33386 respectively. In January and February this year, it reached 6643 vehicles. Nasser analyzed that the main reason for more Jordanians to choose electric vehicles was the low cost of use.
In Egypt, as of March 2024, 4826 household electric vehicles had been licensed, of which more than 1400 were licensed in the first quarter of this year, showing a rapid growth momentum. Munir, who is engaged in electric vehicle sales, said that local people prefer Chinese made electric vehicles because of their good configuration, high cost performance and low maintenance costs.
In the Gulf region, the United Arab Emirates started docking with Chinese new energy vehicle enterprises about 8 years ago, and is one of the first countries to introduce Chinese electric vehicles. Farzad, a Dubai car dealer, said that Chinese brand electric vehicles have high quality, advanced technology, adapt to various local road conditions and climate conditions, and have been loved by local people in the past two years.
Analysts believe that many governments in the Middle East have launched promotion plans for electric vehicles, accelerating market growth. For example, the government of the United Arab Emirates has set the goal of halving the proportion of electric vehicles by 2050, actively promoting the transport sector to reduce the consumption of traditional energy. Egypt has also vigorously developed the electric vehicle industry by reducing tariffs, encouraging research and development and other measures.
In this context, insiders are generally optimistic about the sales prospects of Chinese brand electric vehicles in the Middle East.
Jabila, an economist in the United Arab Emirates, believes that the quality and competitiveness of Chinese brand electric vehicles have surpassed those of European and American electric vehicles, and the sales volume in the United Arab Emirates will increase by 30% in the next two years. Taji, a car dealer in Abu Dhabi, said that Chinese brand electric vehicles have strong adaptability, more diversified brands and models, and have exhibition halls, distribution points and maintenance centers all over the United Arab Emirates. (Participating journalists: Su Xiaopo, He Yiping, Yao Bing, Wang Qiang)