GM Uzbekistan plans to start manufacturing Chevrolet Cobalt

Uzbekistan, Tashkent, March 14 / Trend, D. Azizov /

CJSC GM Uzbekistan, former JSC "UzDaewooAuto" plans to begin production of a new car model - budget sedan Chervrolet Cobalt in 2012, a source in government circles told Trend on Wednesday.

It is expected that the new model will be released under full-scale production, which is scheduled to be arranged late this year. The preliminary project cost is $136 million, production capacity - up to 100,000 cars per year. Already by late 2012 the Uzbek automobile plant is planned to release about 8,000 cars of new model.

GM Uzbekistan Company (former JSC "UzDaewooAuto", the city of Asaka, Andijan region) began production of a new model of car - a sedan Chevrolet Malibu last month based on the Tashkent Aviation Production Association named after Chkalov. Consumers will be offered two options for Malibu configuration - with automatic and manual six-speed gearbox. It is expected to assemble about 5,000 cars of new brand by late 2012.

In 2009, Uzbekistan took the government decision to transfer the production of cars of GM Uzbekistan, which were collected on the technology of large-hub assembly in Asaka, to the production area based on the Tashkent Aviation Production Association named after Chkalov.

In 2007 Uzavtoprom and General Motors signed an agreement to establish a basis for the GM Uzbekistan plant with charter capital of $266.7 million.

Under the JV establishment terms, General Motors owns 25 per cent of shares plus one share in the enterprise, with the possibility of increasing it to 40 per cent. Currently, 75 per cent of the shares belong to Uzavtoprom.

The plant's capacity is 250,000 cars per year. At present, JV GM Uzbekistan produces eight models of cars: four sedan - Nexia, Lacetti, Epica and Malibu, two mini-cars - Matiz and Spark, sport utility vehicle Captiva and minibus Damas.

The company increased production by 2.1 per cent in 2011 to 221,445 cars compared to 2010.

The firm reduced production of Nexia cars by one per cent to 86,200 and of Matiz by 20.9 per cent to 57,775 and increased production of the Damas model by 0.4 per cent to hit 20,194.

The company increased production of Chevrolet Spark cars which it started to manufacture in August, 2010, by 3.7 times to 28,973 units. GM Uzbekistan decreased production of Lacetti cars by 0.1 per cent to 23,900, Captiva by 5.8 per cent to 1728 cars and Epica by 16 per cent to 2,675 units.