Lebanon launches first electric car despite economic crisis

Manufacturer of ‘Quds Rise’ hopes 10,000 vehicles will be produced by next year in the crisis-hit Mediterranean country.

A Lebanon-made electric car has made its debut, the first time the Mediterranean country has manufactured an automobile, despite struggling amid a dire economic crisis with frequent power cuts. The red sports car – named “Quds Rise”, using the Arabic name of Jerusalem – is the project of Lebanese-born Palestinian businessman Jihad Mohammad. It’s the “first automobile to be made locally,” Mohammad told reporters on Saturday, at the unveiling in a parking lot south of Beirut.