BYD & UzAuto to build EV factory in Uzbekistan

Khodrocar - BYD first announced the car plant in Uzbekistan in January 2023 and has already been opening dealerships in the country since February 2023. While it was still unclear at the beginning of the year where the factory would be built, the partners have now chosen the Uzbek province of Jizzax. There, the joint venture of BYD and Uzavtosanoat JSC (UzAuto) wants to initially reach an annual production capacity of 50,000 cars. Subsequently, annual production is to be increased six-fold to 300,000 cars. There is still no information about the investment volume and the time schedule.

With the new joint venture, UzAuto and BYD want to drive the market for new new energy vehicles in Central Asia and beyond. This is because some of the vehicles produced in Jizzax will also be exported to other countries. The company stopped producing pure combustion vehicles one and a half years ago and since then has only built electric cars and plug-in hybrids. BYD not only manufactures the vehicles, but also its own powertrain systems, batteries, semiconductors, motors and motor control systems.

Founded in 1994, UzAuto is the largest manufacturer of passenger and commercial vehicles in Uzbekistan and already cooperates with OEMs such as General Motors, Sinotruck, MAN and Isuzu. In recent years, UzAuto has expanded its business area and also exports its vehicles. Since 2020, the company has also been operating a production facility in Kazakhstan.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev wants to establish an electric car industry in his own country. In local reports, he is quoted as saying that he also wants to establish a Volkswagen electric car plant in Jizzax.