Diesel vehicles may no longer be imported or manufactured in Algeria.
According to the new rule, local automakers are now required by law to begin producing at least one line of electric vehicles if they have been in business for five years or more.
The prohibition is in place for environmental and regulatory grounds.
When the Algerian government prohibited the import of assembly line kits two years ago, a number of automotive executives were successfully tried and imprisoned for fraud and money laundering.
These strict importation policies resulted in a nationwide car shortage and an unprecedented price increase.
According to the most recent data from the National Statistics Office, Algeria has over 6.5 million licensed vehicles.
At the last count in 2019, World Bank data listed Algeria’s carbon dioxide emissions per capita at 3.98 metric tons.
That’s almost half of South Africa’s 7.51 metric tons per capita, but both countries are eclipsed by the US whose carbon dioxide emissions are an estimated 14.67 metric tons per capita.
