What do you reckon about this for a new sports car launch video?
Initial response to the story last month that the Taliban ruled Afghanistan had unveiled its first ever Supercar in Kabul was one of trepidation. Was it a prank or was it genuine, and that it was also announced that the car was powered by a Toyota 1.8 litre DOHC 16-valve WT-I 4-cylinder engine that was first used in the 2004 Corolla sedan didn’t help the story’s credibility.
But once the chuckling subsided and I looked closer into the story, as surreal as it sounds, it may be quite inspirational. According to reports, the Mada 9 has been created by 30 engineers from design studio ENTOP, Kabul’s Afghanistan Technical and Vocational Institute, and the IT Ministry over the last 5 years and although a launch date hasn’t been announced, it’s expected to be sold in Afghanistan before being introduced to the international market, which beggars the question, “How big is the Supercar market in the country, and where can it be used?”.
I should also throw into the mix that the Taliban’s Higher Education Minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, said that the ‘supercar project show that the Taliban regime is committed to providing religion and modern science for its people’.
This Business Insider article gives more of an insight into the Mada 9 Project.
‘Afghanistans first sports car – the Mada 9’, Business Insider
It is very easy to throw cheap shots at this story, however having read many of the on-line comments of support for the project from all around the world, I tend to agree that as difficult as it may be to put the politics of the region aside, to get the Mada 9 Project to this stage is a tribute to the people involved and how good would it be if it came to fruition.
I must also say that I reckon it’s a pretty cool looking car and plans to make it all electric makes it a project to watch….. or is it all just a hoax!!