CAIRO, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) — On the bustling production floor of Jetour Auto’s welding factory in Egypt’s Giza governorate, supervisor Yasser Ahmed Mansour was watching automated machinery blend seamlessly with skilled workers.
To Mansour, this sight is a testament to China‘s rapid transformation of cutting-edge technology into accessible vehicles that are reshaping Egypt’s automotive landscape.
“A growing number of Egyptian consumers are choosing Chinese cars over their German, Japanese, and other counterparts,” he told Xinhua, crediting their appeal to a trifecta of strengths: advanced tech, near-premium features, and competitive pricing.
The welding factory, part of a 123-million-U.S. dollar venture between China‘s Jetour and Egypt’s major automotive dealer Kasrawy Group, is expected to assemble and produce Jetour T1 and T2 models next year, with the goal of both local market supply and export.
Mostafa Hussein, vice president of Kasrawy’s automotive division for Jetour vehicles, outlined the company’s ambitious expansion plans: An existing 55,000-square-meter factory producing Jetour X70 Plus will soon be complemented by an 86,000-square-meter plant slated for 2025 completion.
But before that, envoys from the Egyptian factory will travel to China for training, to observe the latest systems firsthand, Hussein noted.
“Upon their return, further training sessions are conducted here in Egypt. The Chinese side is with us every step of the way, hand in hand,” he said, adding that workforce will then surge from 200 to some 900.
Hussein said he has been observing China’s “enormous and rapid progress” since his first visit to the country in 1990.
“The leaps in technology and the richness of the culture were on another scale. That visit profoundly enriched me — professionally, technologically and personally,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, who toured the factory recently, highlighted the significance of advanced Chinese technology and the eagerness of his country to localize such technology.
Egypt is taking serious steps to localize the Chinese automotive industry, especially electric vehicles, due to China’s advanced technology in both electric car manufacturing and electric batteries, he said.
This welding factory is one of the “fruits of a long-standing partnership” between Egypt and China, one that has been further strengthened with the Belt and Road cooperation, he said.
“Chinese investments in Egypt can be classified as a win-win model, as Egypt benefits from Chinese technology, job creation and more. The Chinese-Egyptian product is also exportable, making these investments mutually beneficial,” he added.
