Ethiopia: Country unveils first locally made car

(SomaliNet) Two years after it rolled out a plant, Ethiopia has unveiled its first locally assembled saloon car - with parts imported from China.

The car named Abay - Amharic for the Blue Nile - was launched on Thursday by the joint Ethiopia-Dutch firm, Holland Car Plc, an industry official said.

\"We are bringing new technology to the country, offering customers to buy new cars instead of older and more expensive ones from Europe,\" Tadesse Tessema, co-founder the company, told AFP.

The four-cylinder Abay with five-speed manual transmission will cost $16 000. It also offers anti-lock braking system and available in five different colours. The firm imports parts from China.

Abay is the firm\'s second line vehicle after it assembled a smaller compact type car last year which cost $10 000.

Ethiopia is among Africa\'s huge car importers and charges up to 150 percent import tax, according to the transport ministry.-AFP