• quarrk [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    791·
    6 days ago

    From what I can find, it’s based on the Chinese Dongfeng Nammi Box

    Similar to how the Ford Explorer EV is based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform (same one as most of their EVs like the ID.3)

    so calling it 100% indigenous is a bit of a stretch. However, while researching this, there was a lot of anti-AES nonsense and propaganda, so hard to say if the downplaying is more untrue than the claim of 100% indigenous. I can’t find any hard information on this vehicle at all. It’s either fluff pieces or racists saying that it’s not possible that Africans could do it on their own.

    Regardless, progress for Burkina Faso is a very good thing to see

    • TankieTanuki [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      541·
      6 days ago

      I was gonna say, there is no way it’s 100% domestic. I don’t think any country in the world other than China can build something as complex as a car without importing parts, post-globalization.

      I don’t even know how you would accurately quantify something like that.

    • CarbonScored [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
      30·
      6 days ago

      I think “100% assembled” is probably the more accurate term they mean. Not to downplay the importance of that, though - assembling components means you have colossally more control over where you import from, the tariffs you’re subject to, and the countries you want to deal with. Aside from the obvious value increase in assembly.

      • merthyr1831@lemmy.mlEnglish
        9·
        6 days ago

        Yeah it takes a lot of skilled labour to assemble vehicles over just importing them. Opens the door to localising production of components too, in a much more granular and manageable fashion for a country that has limited resources to invest at once.

      • quarrk [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        9·
        6 days ago

        It’s the same wordplay as “made with 100% real cheese” where the 100% describes real, ie real cheese is involved somewhere in the process, but not all of the cheese in the product is real. But the average person will read it as meaning that there is no “fake” (non-dairy) cheese.

    • Mardoniush [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
      17·
      6 days ago

      Yeah, this is a generally BK made car, like how the Holden brand were typically variants of GM cars (except for the late model Commodores where it was the other way round and became the Pontiac G8)

    • Ram_The_Manparts [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      11·
      6 days ago

      so calling it 100% indigenous is a bit of a stretch

      If I get a body and neck from the US, electronics from China, and hardware from Japan, I’m still 100% building a guitar in Norway.

      Was the VW Beetle that was built in latin america up to 2009 “Made in Germany”?

      • merthyr1831@lemmy.mlEnglish
        6·
        6 days ago

        In the Western capitalist sense that we apply to 99% of our commodities, it’s 100% Burkinabe for sure.

  • Abracadaniel [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    21·
    6 days ago

    watch the Wide Maya visit to Burkina Faso. these cars have been out for a few months now. they also have built state owned(?) tomato processing plants to start export finished goods rather than raw goods. the government has also engaged in a massive infrastructure (paved roads) campaign.

    • Maeve@kbin.earth
      6·
      6 days ago

      Yes, Burkina Faso is coming along at a good clip. And the West doesn’t like being told “No”, especially wrt gold. Traoré has a price on his head, and I hope he can stay safe. I also hope to see more African states join the alliance.

      • merthyr1831@lemmy.mlEnglish
        8·
        6 days ago

        The biggest threat beyond an intl conspiracy to onetap him is the ISIS insurgency that spans half the country. These projects will give the Burkinabe people the political and economic will to resist Daesh, though.