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3 NEWS 21.10.2021 ONE of the fast growing international car brands in the world - Maxus - con- tinues to capture a growing portion in Europe, whilst generating an increas- ing number of sales. This new car make belongs to the Chinese SAIC Group (Shanghai Auto- motive Industry Corporation), which is the largest car manufacturer in Chi- na. And with more than seven million vehicles sold in 2018, SAIC Motor has grown to become the sixth largest car group in the world. Electrification has become the de- velopment trend of the automotive industry, and major car companies are also launching their own electric models. Maxus has become a leader in the electric vehicle sector and their success in this area will only continue as electric vehicles become more and more popular in the years ahead. The development strategy, which is being adopted by SAIC Group, through its evolving and powerful car brand, Maxus is to promote the scale production of plug-in hybrid and elec- tric vehicles and to endorse the devel- opment of industrial applications and scale engineering tests. Maxus has already won numerous awards in Europe and now, the Chi- nese vehicle brand, has just landed to Malta thanks to GasanZammit Mo- tors Limited. Malta's leading automo- tive and marine company, has been appointed the local representative of the Maxus Brand for the Maltese ter- ritory hence joining GasanZammit's portfolio's of renowned car brands. In today's automobile industry, Maxus has established itself as a well-known brand, under the parent company SAIC, a Fortune Global 500 listed company. With its outstand- ing performance, high efficiency and superb reliability across its range of vehicles, Maxus has quickly emerged into a global leader of electric com- mercial vehicles. "We want to make choosing an elec- tric vehicle as easy as possible for cus- tomers, whether they are shopping for one vehicle or an entire fleet for their business," said Mark Barrett, General Manager of Harris Maxus. Undoubtedly, thanks to its wide range of EVs, Maxus is considered to be a trusted and reliable leader in the electric automobile sector. As an established and strong car business company, Maxus is equally commit- ted to going the extra mile in the fight against climate change, which makes Maxus the perfect partner for any other business company in the world, that is serious about reducing its car- bon footprint. As the Maxus brand grows, both in China and across Europe, and with more and more models and variants being introduced to the market, the commercial vehicle range of Max- us is now available on display, at the Mrieħel car showroom of GasanZam- mit. In April 2020, Harris Group an- nounced that LDV was being rebrand- ed as Maxus across right-hand drive Europe, consolidating the brand's presence across Europe, China and beyond. Carolyn Zammit, Director of Mar- keting at GasanZammit Motors Lim- ited, said the company was thrilled to add Maxus to its list of popular and trustworthy international car brands. "No doubt, as a leading car distribu- tor in Malta, we are really enthusias- tic to be part of this evolution and we are optimistic, that the introduction of Maxus to the Maltese automobile market, will contribute to the coun- try's electrification strategy, as elec- tric vehicles become more and more popular in the years ahead," she said. For the first time ever, during the popular Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, the Chinese automobile company showcased an all-electric LCV stand as MAXUS delivered an electric experience for visitors, fea- turing the new platform e DELIVER 3 and the larger e DELIVER 9 mod- els. A significant highlight of this year's show, visitors could check out nine MAXUS EV variants including an e DELIVER 3 fridge and EV SWB Dropsider (52.5kWh) in advance of the launch of the all-new e DELIVER 3 long wheelbase chassis, which is ex- pected to be available in Malta in the coming months. Maxus has had its best year ever thanks to several significant fleet deals and is currently forecasting a 400% in- crease in sales in the UK by the end of 2021 (v 2020). EVs currently account for over 54% of all sales registrations, copper fastening MAXUS position as a frontrunner in the commercial elec- tric vehicle segment. Maxus is improving its reach in Eu- rope with each passing month. In July, over 5,000 vehicles including SAIC Maxus EV30 (called e Deliver 3 for the overseas version), EV90 (called e Deliver 9 for the overseas version), and V90 (called Deliver 9 for the over- seas version) were exported to Europe from the Chinese factories Maxus has worked with many oth- er business companies to help them electrify their fleets. Throughout this year, delivery company DPD, which is based in UK, purchased 750 all-elec- tric commercial vehicles from the Chinese motor manufacturer. This saw DPD double its fleet of electric vehicles in the UK, increasing it to almost 1,500 carbon-neutral ve- hicles. Maxus vehicles now available in Malta FROM PAGE 1 e forecast is based on provisional data from October 2021, with Malta Enteprise, the state's FDI arm, having approved 26 new projects with an es- timated investment of almost €20 mil- lion and the creation of over 500 for the next three years. Malta Enteprise has already approved six major FDI expansions in 2021 alone, for a total investment of €27 million, that will create 442 jobs. "We are roping in industry, in upskill- ing and reskilling, and attracting new talent to address Malta's talent gap – we have €2 million budgeted for this. Sustainability is also about making sure that we retain the companies we have in Malta, to give them the right environment to expand, and to attract new investment," Miriam Dalli told the EY Future Realised annual conference. Dalli said Malta Enterprise had at- tracted as much FDI as possible throughout the COVID pandemic. "With 950 jobs for the next three years, we need to make sure we have the talent to fill those jobs," the min- ister said. "We made sure this Budget includes initiatives to focus on ESGs – environment, social, and govern- ance criteria – with our own Maltese companies as well as for other private investors." Dalli said her experience with CEOs and other businesses was that compa- nies in Malta wanted to get in line with ESGs that can retain talent and pro- mote better business practices. "at is why we want to help busi- nesses reinvest their profits in ESGs, in energy efficiency across manufacturing plants... that's a win-win for both the private company and the government. Malta wants to help private companies reach targets for energy efficiency that puts less pressure on the national grid and for companies to lower their costs." Six FDI expansions approved in Q1-Q3 will create 442 jobs In the first nine months of 2021, Malta Enteprise approved six major FDI expansions, for a total investment of €27 million, that will create 442 jobs

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