The announcement comes after a cooperation agreement was signed in August between the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production and the UAE’s M Glory Holding to set up the Egyptian Emirates Company for the Automotive Industry (under the acronym “EM”), along with a 22,000 square metre factory.

Under the deal, the Cairo-based company will manufacture and market several models of pickup trucks that operate on natural gas and gasoline, according to a previous statement.

On Thursday, Egypt’s Minister of Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsy held a virtual meeting with Chairman of M Glory Holding Majda El-Azazy where they followed up on recent developments in the deal.

Morsy stated during the meeting that the cooperation is part of the presidential directives to expand the use of natural gas as a fuel for vehicles in order to benefit from its availability in Egypt.

This cooperation also helps fulfill Egypt's Vision 2030, which aims to localise modern industrial technologies and create professional technical cadres, the statement quoted Morsy as saying.

On her part, El-Azazy said the cooperation contributes to the manufacturing of environmentally friendly vehicles that preserve natural resources to ensure their sustainability for future generations.

It also contributes to reducing pollution rates and harmful emissions that have a negative impact on citizens and the economy, she said.

“The mass production of the EM pickup is scheduled to start at the end of the first half of 2022,” El-Azazy said, adding that the two countries aim to meet the needs of the local and African markets for these types of vehicles.

El-Azazy also explained that the new vehicle, which has been granted the European E-mark certificate, has many distinguishing features, including the highest engine capacity for pickups on the market, comfortable seats, high safety ratings, strong air-conditioning and all-terrain capability.

At the end of the meeting, Morsy stressed the ministry's keenness to continue the fruitful cooperation between Egypt and UAE in various fields of manufacturing, said the statement.