Astana, Kazakhstan, June 12
By Daniyar Mukhtarov - Trend:
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has launched Toyota car production project in Kostanai (northern Kazakhstan) during the teleconference at the 27th plenary meeting of the Foreign Investors Council in the Burabai resort town (200 kilometers from Astana) on June 12.
Nazarbayev gave a start to the project together with "Toyota Motor Corporation" Chairman of Board Takeshi Uchiyamada. Toyota Fortuner production started at the SaryarkaAvtoProm production site.
Earlier it was reported that the possibility of bilateral cooperation in various sectors of the economy, including production was stipulated during the Kazakh president's visit to Japan in 2008.
Toyota Motor Corporation and the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and New Technologies worked much during the years of cooperation. This resulted in the production of the world famous Toyota cars at the SaryarkaAvtoProm plant.
SaryarkaAvtoProm plant in Kostanai today is the Toyota first production site in Central Asia. Moreover, Toyota project is unique because the Medium Knocked Down (MKD) method will be used. It includes technically complicated processes such as welding and painting of the bodywork.
The planned annual production of cars at the plant is about three million and localization of production must reach 30 percent in the future.
About 100 jobs will be created for highly qualified specialists at the plant in Kazakhstan who passed the necessary technical qualification. Toyota Fortuner cars will be sold only on the territory of Kazakhstan.
edited by CN