- Title: Egypt's auto rickshaw gets a new home-grown challenger
- Date: 30th May 2017
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WORKERS WORKING ON RICKSHAW IN CAR WORKSHOP RICKSHAW MOTOR RICKSHAW PARKED IN WORKSHOP RICKSHAW BEING DRIVEN INTO WORKSHOP VARIOUS OF RICKSHAW DRIVING IN THE STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RICKSHAW MAKER, AHMED SAEED OMAR, SAYING: "We began by creating a model that we then produced. The idea came at the same time that Egypt was witnessing an economic crisis, where there was a dollar shortage and the currency was floated, which was followed by an importation crisis that the country as a whole was facing, because we depend wholly on imports - rickshaws were one of the major imports." VARIOUS OF WORKER BUILDING RICKSHAW (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RICKSHAW MAKER, AHMED SAEED OMAR, SAYING: "I produced it in a way that suits our lifestyle - I saw that with any product that appears in the market, the first aspect that makes it fail is the lack of availability of its spare parts, so what I did was make this product that is made of available spare parts that are very cheap, that anyone can get easily, from anywhere. Also, so that there isn't a monopoly on the spare parts by one particular trader or producer." OMAR SEATED IN PARKED RICKSHAW VARIOUS OF INTERIOR OF RICKSHAW OMAR SEATED IN RICKSHAW (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RICKSHAW MAKER, AHMED SAEED OMAR, SAYING: "My dream is for this car to do well in my country, and for us to begin exporting afterwards, because at the moment I receive offers to export my product to more than 22 African countries. My dream is for it not to grow in Africa first, but to grow here in my home country before I begin exporting it." VARIOUS OF OMAR DRIVING RICKSHAW
- Embargoed: 13th June 2017 14:02
- Keywords: Egypt auto rickshaw mini-car Cairo
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0016J15UTX
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: In his workshop near Cairo's pyramids, Ahmed Saeed Omar has manufactured a mini four-wheeled vehicle that he hopes will fill a gap in the market.
Omar's "mini car", a rectangular vehicle made of a solid steel body which seats up to six people, is cheaper than the widely-used imported auto rickshaw -- not much more than a covered three-wheel scooter with a passenger bench -- because it is almost entirely locally produced.
"The idea came at the same time that Egypt was witnessing an economic crisis, where there was a dollar shortage and the currency was floated, which was followed by an importation crisis that the country as a whole was facing, because we depend wholly on imports - rickshaws were one of the major imports," the 35-year-old said.
Prices of imported products have soared since Egypt devalued its currency in November as part of measures to stimulate the economy.
Three-wheeled rickshaws are widespread in many Egyptian cities, usually in neighbourhoods with narrow alleyways, and are mostly imported from India.
A rickshaw can cost around 38,000 Egyptian pounds (around $2,000) and has a 175 cc engine, while Omar's mini car costs 34,000 pounds (around $1,800) and has 300 cc engine.
Since the cost of imports has soared, Omar thinks there may be market for his design, especially since he uses part that are widely available.
"I produced it in a way that suits our lifestyle - I saw that with any product that appears in the market, the first aspect that makes it fail is the lack of availability of its spare parts, so what I did was make this product that is made of available spare parts that are very cheap, that anyone can get easily, from anywhere," he said.
Omar now hopes that his mini-car concept will prove to be a hit in Egypt, and even across the Middle East and Africa. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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