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Car manufacturer NWTN has signed a lease for the first electric vehicle (EV) assembly facility in Abu Dhabi, which will have a capacity to build 50,000 vehicles per year.
The company, which relocated its headquarters from China to the UAE in 2016, will operate a 25,000-square-metres facility constructed by the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), where it will also develop new models.
A statement from industrial zone operator AD Ports Group said the facility will have a capacity to assemble 50,000 vehicles a year once the second phase of the facility is completed.
The announcement follows a decision by Abu Dhabi Department for Energy (DoE) to accelerate the development of EV infrastructure as part of the emirate’s low emission vehicle strategy.
“Attracting electric vehicle manufacturers to Abu Dhabi will play a significant role in enabling the economic vision of Abu Dhabi and is aligned with the recently announced Abu Dhabi Industrial Strategy," Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO, AD Ports Group, said.
“We are pleased to welcome NWTN into our ecosystem at AD Ports Group and to facilitate their contribution to a cleaner environment for communities and for future generations.”
Alan Wu, Chairman and CEO, NWTN noted that the partnership "forms a cornerstone" of their company's "broader worldwide growth strategy" by enabling them to efficiently serve a wider range of consumers in the Middle East, Northern Africa and European markets.
(Writing by Imogen Lillywhite; editing by Cleofe Maceda)
