DT Dobie in its bid to grow its range of locally assembled vehicles on Monday unveiled the new Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace which is produced at the KVM facility in Thika.
The Tiguan Allspace is a 7-seater which is an alternative to the 5-seater Tiguan launched a while ago.
“We are committed to further expanding our line of locally assembled cars to grow our brand in the country,” said Matt Olivier, Director Business Development DT Dobie.
The new Tiguan has a two-litre turbocharged 132-kilowatt engine mated with a seven-speed automatic transmission and is a four-wheel drive.
The car has two cost specifications with the Trendline going for Sh4.5 million and the Highline going for Sh5.5 million.
In 2016 DT Dobie launched the Volkswagen Polo Vivo which is the first locally assembled German car in Kenya.
This was followed by the Caddy Kombi and the Tiguan.
By assembling more of brands locally the firm is supporting the government’s Big Four Agenda in the manufacturing sector.
The government has been working on implementing its National Automotive Policy which is expected to boost local assembling of motor vehicles in the country.
Dealers assembling vehicles locally are exempted from the 25 per cent import duty that is levied on fully-built imported vehicles, an incentive that gives room for assemblers to produce cheaper vehicles.
This incentive has spurred more vehicle manufacturers to start local assembly of vehicles.
The Ministry of Trade estimates that new vehicles assembled in Kenya will contribute Sh50 billion in taxes per year in the next five years, from the current Sh8 billion.
SOURCE: the-star.co.ke
