Road safety operators UTAC CERAM and FEV Group are set to create the first automotive testing center in Morocco. The center will be the first of its kind in Africa.
“From its opening in 2021, this center will offer a complete range of services. Morocco has a geographical proximity to Europe, which is a key asset for international players,” said UTAC CERAM President Laurent Benoit today.
Morocco’s future automotive testing center will provide a wide range of services, including endurance, reliability, dynamics, braking, and pedestrian impact tests.
The services will also include measurement of car emissions, driver training, and event planning services.
UTAC CERAM and FEV Group will build the testing center in Oued Zem, 150 kilometers southeast of Casablanca.
Morocco’s automotive factories in Casablanca, Kenitra, and Tangier are likely to be the primary customers of the testing center. The companies, meanwhile, hope that the center will provide services for European manufacturers as well and serve as a gateway to Africa.
Based in Paris, UTAC CERAM is a private group specialized in the regulation, approval, testing, and certification of land transport vehicles. The company currently has two testing centers in France, but also collaborates with other centers in the UK, North America, Russia, China, and Japan.
The center in Morocco would be UTAC CERAM’s first venture in a developing country.
FEV Group, meanwhile, is a German company specialized in developing intelligent road safety software and implementing it in vehicles. It also operates technical testing centers in more than 20 countries across the world.
