China's e-vehicle brand Neta enters Kenya's market

NAIROBI -- Chinese automotive brand Neta announced its entry into the Kenyan market Wednesday, with Moja EV Kenya, a motor dealer, as its distributor.

Zhou Jiang, the overseas business general manager at Neta, told journalists in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, that the firm will initially offer the Neta V model, which will retail for 4 million Kenyan shillings (about $31,000) and has a range of about 380 km on a full charge. "The electric vehicle is ideal for the Kenyan market because it offers affordability combined with low operational costs compared to conventional vehicles," Zhou said.

Neta chose to establish a presence in Kenya because it is a regional economic hub and will serve as a gateway for exporting e-vehicles to the rest of the African continent, Zhou added.

Wang Aiping, chief executive officer of Moja EV Kenya, said they will initially import about 160 vehicles from China over the next month and plan to partner with Kenya's Associated Vehicle Assemblers to assemble 250 e-vehicles every month. Wang also mentioned plans to begin exporting Chinese e-vehicles from Kenya to the rest of Africa by the end of the year.

He said that electric automobiles have advantages, relying on batteries for movement and lacking internal combustion engines, which reduces the need for regular mechanical maintenance.