Egyptian El Nasr Automotive explores EV battery production with China’s Shandong Heavy Industry

Egyptian vehicle manufacturer El Nasr Automotive is studying cooperation with Chinese Shandong Heavy Industry Group to establish a project for producing electric vehicle (EV) batteries in Egypt, Economy Plus reported on January 22. 

The development is part of Egypt’s strategy to accelerate the clean energy transition and deepen local manufacturing.

The discussions took place during a meeting between Egypt’s Minister of Public Enterprises, Mohamed Shimi, and a high-level delegation from Shandong Heavy Industry, which owns several global brands operating across automotive manufacturing, heavy equipment, and advanced technologies.

El Nasr is Egypt's historic state-owned automaker, originally founded in 1960 as the first vehicle manufacturer in the Middle East and Africa. After a 15-year hiatus and a 2009 liquidation order that was later reversed, the company officially resumed production in November 2024.

The talks reviewed ongoing cooperation with one of Shandong Group’s subsidiaries in the production of electric minibuses in Egypt. Both sides explored ways to expand this partnership, raise local component ratios, and enhance the competitiveness of Egyptian-made vehicles, while opening new export opportunities to regional and international markets.

Shimi said the government is keen to broaden cooperation with leading global companies, localise strategic industries, attract investment, and maximise the value of state-owned assets. He said the automotive sector, particularly electric and environmentally friendly vehicles, is among the priority industries with high value-added potential.

The minister explained that reviving El Nasr Automotive is a flagship strategic project, noting that the company has undergone comprehensive upgrades to its infrastructure and production lines. The efforts include modernising bus and passenger car factories in line with the latest global technologies.

He added that El Nasr’s strong industrial capabilities, skilled workforce, and large production capacity position it as a key platform for localising vehicle manufacturing in Egypt, especially EVs and clean mobility solutions.