President Uhuru Kenyatta has commissioned the local assembly of Proton Saga saloon cars at the Associated Vehicle Assemblers (AVA) in Miritini, Mombasa County. – By Gerald Gekara.
The President applauded Simba Corporation, the Proton franchise holder in Kenya, and all other assemblers for supporting the Government agenda to revive the local vehicle assembly industry to support wealth and employment creation for the Kenyan youth.
Simba Corporation said the partnership with the Malasyian car brand Proton was aimed to attract price-sensitive middle-class buyers.
The salon cars will sell for as low as Sh1 million inclusive of taxes.
Proton is the latest entrant in the balooning the list of passenger cars assembled in the local market. So far Volkswagen’s Polo Vivo is being assembled by DT Dobie and the French based Peugeot by Urysia.
The influx of car manufacturers has been greatly attributed to tax incentives offered to firms producing locally.
Imports of fully-built vehicles are charged an import duty of 25 percent while parts headed to assembly plants are exempted from this tax.
This was part of the measures to support the Manufacturing pillar, in Uhuru’s Big Four Agenda.
