ABU DHABI, 21st February, 2023 (WAM) — The Tawazun Council and GM Defense LLC, a subsidiary of General Motors, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation, a step towards a formal partnership to develop future products in the field. The first step to advanced mobility and power solutions.
The MoU was signed by Tawazun Council CEO Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi and GM Defense President Steve duMont at the Tawazun Council Chalet at IDEX2023 in the presence of officials from both parties.
With the MOU, GM Defense – leveraging the proven commercial technology of its parent company GM, and the substantial battery power investments made by GM to bring innovation to global defense and government customers and Tawazun Council – a UAE government entity supporting defense and security Invest in and promote innovation and R&D in the defense industry – Businesses will be promoted with the common goal of delivering efficient and advanced solutions to military, security and government customers in the UAE and across the region.
Priority opportunities covered by the MOU include collaborative research and development, regional production and assembly, post-production support and global logistics focused on key technology areas for integrated vehicles; power and propulsion – including fuel cells and power generation; and autonomy and connectivity.
“Today’s agreement marks an important new relationship that further strengthens our nation’s domestic defense industrial base while providing new opportunities to expand our technology development and supply partnership with GM Defense,” said Shareef Al Hashmi.
“Tawazun Council is uniquely positioned in the region as an operational, production and development resource for world-class technology companies such as GM Defense. Our strong global connections make us an advantageous partner,” he added.
“Our partnership with Tawazun Council is an important step in expanding our reach to defense and government customers in the Middle East,” said GM Defense President Steve duMont.
“We are committed to building long-term, lasting relationships in the region and delivering solutions that employ some of the most advanced, commercially proven technology, reliability and flexibility. With this MoU, we can more effectively help our of global customers transition to a more electric, autonomous and connected future.”
The MoU with Tawazun Council is GM Defense’s first partnership in the Middle East and will help expand its reach following the announcement of GM Defense International in 2022. GM Defense’s ability to leverage GM’s advanced commercial platforms, world-class manufacturing and global supply chain, and advanced electrification technologies enables the company to deliver commercially proven, best-value solutions with innovation, speed and flexibility.