By Nicholas Kaufman
Greece has for the first time brought a car onto the market that is built in its own country. The SUV model with a Mitsubishi engine is said to be particularly robust and have a long service life. The country, hitherto comparatively poor in industry, is paving the way back into the automotive industry.
It is a step of great importance for Greece: On Wednesday, the State Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure, Michalis Papadopoulos, and the District Governor of Attica, Giorgos Patoulis, gave symbolic number plates to the first Greek-made car in Athens. “The way is clear for a certified Greek car,” said Secretary of State for Transport and Infrastructure Michalis Papadopoulos. The first two cars are now registered – 14 years after the presentation of the first prototype.
The “Made In Greece” car is built by the manufacturer Keraboss Cars Manufacturing in Athens and is called “Keraboss Super K”. This is an SUV model of vehicle class M1, an international designation for passenger cars. It is the only Greek-made car now on the market. The 3.375 meters long and 1.59 meters high “Keraboss Super K” weighs just 840 kilograms and is powered by a Mitsubishi petrol engine with a displacement of 1000 cc. It has 72 hp and reaches a top speed of 145 km/h.
Papadopoulos especially called on expatriate Greeks involved in car production to return to Greece now that the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has put in place the legal framework for similar initiatives. “We support such initiatives and will support all efforts,” he announced.
According to the manufacturer, the “Keraboss Super K” is ideal for use on islands and for car rental services. The building materials, such as the polyester body and the galvanized chassis should remain almost untouched by the sea salt and last almost forever with a little care. It can now be ordered and is available as a two- and four-seater. Keraboss Cars Manufacturing specifies the production time as five to six months.
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