The prototype Ghanaian model vehicle designed and manufactured by the artisans of Suame Magazine in Kumasi has been successfully tested in Rotterdam, Holland under the auspices of the Dutch Government. A comprehensive engineering report on the vehicle has been presented to project partners for the next phase of the project. The car named ‘SMATI TURTLE 1’ was built earlier this year through a partnership initiative between the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization (SMIDO) and Dutch-based Aardschap Foundation. The car was shipped to Holland last April for international exhibition and promotion to attract investors for large scale commercial production to serve the African market. The Dutch Government committed to absorb the cost of testing the roadworthiness of the SMATI Turtle 1 prototype vehicle in the Netherlands. According to the Dutch counterpart team leader, Melle Smets, the inspectors were very impressed with the rare engineering ingenuity exhibited by the artisans in the creation of this unique car model. “They wondered how such a rare engineering height could be achieved in the design and construction of the vehicle without any sophisticated manufacturing machinery within a very limited time of two and half months”, he stated. “There was a general acknowledgement that given the conditions under which the car was manufactured, it is a major boost to the creation of an African automobile brand”.