GM Uzbekistan Reports Output Up in First-Half 2013

VIENNA – General Motors Uzbekistan produced 120,218 vehicles this year through June, up 10.7% from like-2012.

The auto maker is a joint venture owned 25% by GM and 75% by the Uzbek state automotive company Uzavtosanoat.

GM Uzbekistan’s leading model is the Chevrolet/Daewoo Nexia, a modernized version of a previous Daewoo car.

However, the Nexia small sedan saw sales decline 28.7% to 30,431 units. It was followed by the Chevrolet Cobalt small sedan, the plant’s newest model, with 29,750. Volume production of the Cobalt started in September 2012.

Also manufactured at the GM Uzbekistan plant in Asaka in the year’s first half were 17,288 Matiz and 15,188 Spark minicars, 13,665 Lacetti/Gentra small sedans and 11,364 Damas small vans.

At a separate site in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, the auto maker assembled 1,306 Chevrolet Malibu sedans and 1,226 Captiva cross/utility vehicles from semi-knocked-down kits.

All vehicles manufactured at GM Uzbekistan are sold under the Chevrolet brand in the domestic market. The plant’s newest Spark and Cobalt models also are sold as Chevrolets in Russia and other Commonwealth of Independent States countries, while the older models based on previous Daewoo cars still wear the Daewoo badge in CIS countries outside of Uzbekistan.

Earlier this month, GM Uzbekistan celebrated production of its 2 millionth vehicle.

The factory in Asaka, then known as UzDaewooAvto, launched volume production in partnership with former Daewoo Motor in July 1996, marking the first time cars were manufactured in the Central Asian country.

The current GM Uzbekistan JV was established in February 2008. Its primary markets are Uzbekistan and Russia.

In addition to the main plant in Asaka, the JV has a small SKD operation in Tashkent.

It plans to transferproduction of the Damas small van to a new site in the Khorezm province.

While new models such as the Spark and Cobalt were launched in the past year, GM Uzbekistan still continues assembling the old Daewoo cars and even modernizes them. This year, for example, the plant is making preparations to launch production of Matiz and Nexia cars with engines that comply with Euro 5 emissions standards.

The partners also operate the GM Powertrain Uzbekistan engine plant located near Tashkent, which is owned 52% by GM and 48% by Uzavtosanoat.

A significant number of components for GM Uzbekistan’s cars is manufactured locally as well. Many of the domestic parts come from a JV operated by South Korean suppliers and Uzavtosanoat. Smaller, Uzbek-owned companies also produce parts for the Asaka plant.