Isuzu Motors of Japan will be producing 25,000 trucks annually at the Second Dammam Industrial City by the end of 2012 for export to the GCC Region and Middle East, according to Azzam Y. Shalabi, President of the National Industrial Clusters Development Program. Addressing the ongoing Petrochem Arabia Conference here at the Dhahran International Exhibition Center, he said the assembly of the Isuzu trucks comes under the aegis of the Kingdom's cluster development program which is currently developing five industrial conversion targets, including automotive. The five industries targeted under the industrial conversion thrust are automotive sector and its value chain, plastics and packaging, home appliances, solar energy products, and energy goods and services. "In cooperation with Isuzu, Saudi Arabia is eyeing to capture the SR300 billion auto markets in the region and beyond," Shalabi said. He said the automotive cluster also includes the development of auto assembly and components to build a national base for the local and global market. He said this requires the development of a state-of-the-art automotive production and marketing concept to be participated by local key players in the local automotive business and the global industry. "We are therefore embarking on two national car production initiatives, namely, the Ghazal Car Project and the Asilah Car Project," Shalabi said. The Ghazal Car Project is in the feasibility phase by Riyadh Techno Valley Company under the initiative program of King Saud University, while the Asilah Car Project, which is already completed by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, is seeking commercial production. Two other companies based in Jubail Industrial City will be producing small plastic parts and hood parts in 2013. __
