China’s Jetour plans carmaking facility in Dubai

Chinese carmaker Jetour plans to start a manufacturing unit in Dubai as a springboard to supplying the UAE and the rest of the Gulf, its head of international operations told AGBI.

“The GCC is the richest region in the world, and we obviously want to take it by the storm and be the No 1 car sellers there, ” Ke Chuandeng, president of Jetour International, said while on a visit to Oman. “We have plans for Jebel Ali to be our regional manufacturing area.”

He did not provide further details on the plans.

Jebel Ali in Dubai is a free trade zone where 100 percent foreign ownership is allowed. It is home to the Gulf’s biggest port by throughput. Jetour wants to sell at least 200,000 cars in the region each year, Chuandeng said.

He added that faced with President Donald Trump’s new import tariffs in the US, Jetour is exploring other markets around the world.

“We see [US tariffs] as an opportunity to expand to Europe and the Middle East, like our plans in the GCC,” Chuandeng said.

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Jetour was established in 2018. It makes a range of urban and off-road SUVs that cost between $10,000 and $50,000, as well as a pickup truck model. 

The company is launching its first full-electric model, the T0, by the end of next year.

Chinese car makers have made steady inroads into the UAE and Gulf markets, challenging Japan and Western competitors.

Their market share in the UAE almost doubled last year, surging  86 percent by units sold, according to the Middle East Automotive Council. That share, though, is still relatively small at 7 percent.