General Motors may be looking to expand its operations in Egypt.
According to a recent report from the Egyptian business publication Enterprise, General Motors President and Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Luay Al Shurafa, recently met with Egyptian Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamea to discuss a possible expansion by General Motors in the region. The discussions included dialogue pertaining to how the automaker’s expansion plans could complement Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s desire to increase car exports and localize electric vehicle production.
The Madbouly government recently approved a 500 million EGP ($32 million USD at current exchange rates) plan to incentivize automakers that export vehicles as part of a broader 6 billion EGP ($382 million USD) subsidy program.
Per the Enterprise report, Al Shurafa praised the export subsidy program, but did not list details of any possible General Motors expansion in Egypt.
For the moment, the only General Motors brand sold in Egypt is Chevrolet. Products sold in the market include the Chevy Malibu sedan, the Chevy Captiva crossover, and the Chevy Optra sedan, as well as a selection of commercial trucks and vans.
Back in 2015, General Motors announced it would invest $46 million in Egypt over three to four years. At the time, President and Managing Director of GM Africa, Mario Spangenberg, addressed the investment during a speech at the Egypt Economic Development Conference, saying “Egypt enjoys a promising investment environment with lots of potential… with diversified demands. Egypt’s strategic location promotes exports making it North Africa’s hub.”
More recently, in April of 2020, Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly visited the General Motors Egypt Plant, praising the automaker for its preventative measures to protect its employees from the spread of COVID-19, while also underlining the government’s interest in supporting the car industry in Egypt.
At that time, Chairman and Managing Director of General Motors Egypt, Tarek Atta, highlighted the automaker’s investments over the last five years, estimated at $120 million.
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Does anybody know how this operation in Egypt came to be? Was it a leftover from Daewoo?
Also building Commercial truck. I assume Isuzu?
As far as I know, this Egyptian facility was established independently from Daewoo and Suzuki, but it did assemble a “Chevrolet Optra” which was a badge engineered Daewoo Lacetti, also Suziki commercial vehicles. The Optra was also sold in Algeria, I remember.
An internet search fpr “GM North africa” found the site GM “search careers at GM” for Egypt at
search-careers.gm dot com/locationegypt
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General Motors Egypt was established in 1983 as the first private automotive manufacturer in Egypt and commenced production from the 6th October Plant in 1985.
We offer a diverse Chevrolet portfolio to our customers, including pick-up trucks, light duty trucks, passenger cars, passenger vans and minibuses, all supported by a strong nationwide sales and service network.
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GM’s operations in North Africa and South Africa were consolidate in 2013 as “GM Africa”, led by Mario Spangenberg, a former Opel executive, as president and managing director of GM Africa.
When GM withdrew from the South African market in 2017, they did not give up the manufacturing site in Egypt, and marketing Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC in Arab countries. See website “chevroletarabia dot com” .
It should invest more, nobody want that crap here.
Sedans are selling well in that market? Because GM and others quit from producing it in U.S. and other countries. Japanese and Korean manudacturers are filling that and they are doing good.
So the same question also when GM will invest in Indonesia again?