Why Jetour Sees Zakho as Key to Kurdistan’s Auto Industry
Two investment projects opened in Zakho, including a $20.155 million Nissan hub, as Jetour and Harlem Group signed an MOU for a Kurdistan Region KD project.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Two major investment projects opened in the Zakho Independent Administration on Sunday: a $20.155 million Nissan distribution and training facility and the $15 million Motor Plex Iraq sports and tourism complex.
The ceremony also carried a signature of its own, as Jetour Auto and Harlem Group agreed to launch the first and largest automotive KD project in the Kurdistan Region for the Jetour brand.
The Golden Global Development project will serve as the main distribution hub for Nissan vehicles across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. It will also operate as a training center for company staff.
Around 2,000 Nissan vehicles are expected to pass through the facility each month after entering through the Ibrahim Khalil International Border Crossing. They will then be distributed to cities across Iraq.
The project marks a substantial expansion of vehicle-related commercial infrastructure in Zakho. Distribution, inspection, maintenance, storage and training functions will operate together at a single site.
In a speech at the inauguration, Jin Kai, Middle East director at Jetour. Addressing Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, government officials and guests, he said Zakho was an important place for the occasion.
“Zakho holds a strategic geographic and logistical position, and we believe it has strong potential for investment, industry, and automotive development,” Kai said. “We are proud that the Kurdistan Region will be the starting point for this important new chapter in Jetour’s development.”
He described the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a strategically important market for the brand. “We have witnessed the strong growth of the Jetour brand here over the past years, and today we are proud to take our commitment to this market to an entirely new level,” he said.
Kai announced that Jetour Auto and Harlem Group were signing an MOU to launch the first and largest automotive KD project in the Kurdistan Region for the Jetour brand. The project will be developed on a site spanning more than 1,000 dunams.
“This project represents an important transition toward local automotive production to global quality standards,” Kai said. “It will contribute to transferring international knowledge and technology, developing local technical capacities, creating employment opportunities, and supporting industrial development in the Kurdistan Region and across Iraq.”
Kai called Harlem Group Jetour’s trusted partner and exclusive distributor in Iraq. “We have great confidence in their capacity and long-term commitment, and we look forward to working together to turn this vision into reality and begin a new chapter for Jetour in the Kurdistan Region and beyond,” he said.
He also said Jetour was pleased to be at the Golden Development Zakho AutoHub. In his words, it “represents the advanced automotive and logistics infrastructure already established in Zakho to support the continued growth of this sector.”
Kai closed by thanking Prime Minister Barzani. “Finally, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to His Excellency Prime Minister Masrour Barzani for his presence and support, as well as to the government authorities, our partner, and everyone who contributed to reaching this important milestone,” he said.
With the Nissan hub operating and the Jetour agreement signed, Zakho is set to host both distribution and production-related automotive activity. For Jetour, Kai said, the Kurdistan Region is the place where its next chapter begins.