The world is paying a great deal of attention in many ways… What is the power of the “Taliban regime-approved supercar”?
The jet-black body looks as if it is crawling on the ground. It looks like the Batmobile from the movie “Batman,” but this is a real car called “MADA9. Since its unveiling at the end of last year as Afghanistan’s first domestically produced supercar, it has been attracting a great deal of attention around the world.

The maximum speed is 200 km/h and fuel consumption is estimated to be around 13 km per liter. The engine is not newly developed, but is the 1ZZ model that was used in TOYOTA’s Corolla and other models from 1998 to 2009. Therefore, the production cost is quite low, about $50,000 (about 6.5 million yen). On the other hand, the latest technology is also used, such as the suspension introduced in F1, which can be said to be of a very high standard considering the current level of technology in Afghanistan,” said Kumiko Kato, a journalist on automotive life.
Since the Taliban regime was restored to power in August 2009, the domestic situation in Afghanistan has been viewed with concern. Afghanistan has not yet been recognized as an official government by the United Nations, and it is difficult to say that the country enjoys the support of the international community.
Against this backdrop, the Taliban regime has been actively promoting the “MADA9” on social networking sites. A spokesperson for Entop, the design company that developed the MADA9, said, “We hope it will become a symbol of Afghanistan’s future.
It is estimated that about 2.2 million tons of lithium is buried in the country, making it one of the world’s largest lithium reserves. In the future, this resource will be useful in making electric cars and other vehicles. We would like to say to Mr. Elon Musk, ‘Let’s build electric cars together in Afghanistan! We would like to tell Mr. Elon Musk, “Let’s build electric cars together in Afghanistan! We hope that many foreign investors will enter the Afghan automobile industry in the future.
Toshihiro Yamada, an international journalist and expert on the situation in Afghanistan, also analyzed the project as effective PR for the international community.
He said, “It will be interesting to see if this car can change the country’s image from a ‘war zone’ to an ‘advanced city with supercars. This is a big step toward being recognized by the international community. Eventually, I hope it will also develop into a clean source of funding for the current administration.”
Hopefully, the development of the automobile industry will lead to peace in Afghanistan.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Entop