The wheels have been set in motion for Dubai Industrial City to host a full-fledged electric vehicle assembly and production facility. M Glory will bring out its EV versions from the plant, a 1 million sqft facility that will be completed in 2024.
“It was last year that we started talks with M Glory about bringing their concept to Industrial City,” said Saud Abu Al Shawareb, Managing Director of the hub. “They will start assembling their EV concepts now and enter into full production in 2024.
“Yes, this is an Emirati electric car and also the first EV factory to commence construction in Industrial City.”
The first of these vehicles – the ‘Al Damani’ – was on display at the factory’s groundbreaking event on Monday. Prices for the premium version start from Dh143,500 (including charger), while the basic comes to Dh127,500 and over.
A Dh1.5b spend
Projected investments in the plant will be about Dh1.5 billion. There have been a couple of ventures that have looked closely at the EV space, where design and form factors are as important as the range the battery-powered vehicles can get. The promoters reckon that getting all these elements together will mean they can carve out a role as the entire global automotive industry starts moving into electric.
What’s M Glory about?
Founded by Dr Majida Al Azazi, M Glory’s subsidiaries include Sandstorm Electric Vehicles Manufacturing as well as Al Damani. Apart from automotive, sustainable real estate is the other major initiative for the group.
For Dubai Industrial City, the M Glory commitment puts into sharp focus its ‘transport zone’, where until now the big tenants have been ventures launched by Al Rostamani, Al Naboodah, Al Habtoor and Oman Transport. These facilities have principally been for testing and service requirements.
“Landing the first EV factory is a big deal, a successful story about diversification,” said Al Shawareb. “I believe we wrapped the negotiations with M Glory in quick time, even with all the design and other approvals needed.”
A hub for F&B and more
The launch of M Glory comes at a time when Dubai Industrial City had been securing major wins with F&B companies, for their production and processing plants, as well as with the Indian personal-care brand Himalaya.
“Each of the six zones within Industrial City is coming along nicely,” the official added.
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