Uzbekistan's president visited BYD's Shenzhen headquarters on January 25, and together with the NEV maker's chairman remotely witnessed the start of production at the plant.
(Image credit: BYD)
BYD's (OTCMKTS: BYDDF) plant in Uzbekistan has started production, which is expected to support the Chinese NEV (NEV) maker's overseas sales.
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited BYD's Shenzhen headquarters on January 25 and met with the NEV maker's chairman and president Wang Chuanfu, BYD said today.
Mirziyoyev and Wang participated remotely in a production launch ceremony at BYD's Uzbekistan plant, and witnessed the first vehicle produced at the facility -- a Song Plus DM-i -- roll off the assembly line.
At the same time, Wang delivered to Mirziyoyev BYD's 10,000th NEV in Uzbekistan, a Yangwang U8.
Yangwang is BYD's premium brand launched in January 2023, with the first model, the Yangwang U8, going on sale in China in September 2023 at a starting price of RMB 1.098 million ($153,000).
Mirziyoyev said he expects BYD to increase production at its plant in Uzbekistan to further deepen the cooperation.
BYD signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Uzavtosanoat JSC (UzAuto) in February 2022, agreeing to study the feasibility of co-producing electric passenger cars and electric buses in Uzbekistan.
On December 30, 2022, the company announced that it had signed an agreement with UzAuto to establish a joint venture that will focus on the production of NEVs and their components.
Established in 1994, UzAuto is the largest and only automobile manufacturer in Central Asia with a complete automobile industry layout, with a large local and inter-regional sales network and after-sales service system.
BYD made its brand debut in Uzbekistan on March 16, 2023 and introduced three models to local consumers: the Han EV, a pure electric sedan; the Song Plus DM-i, a hybrid model; and the Chazor DM-i, known as the Chaser 05 in China.
BYD sold a record 341,043 NEVs in December, bringing full-year 2023 sales to 3,024,417 units.
The company sold 36,095 NEVs overseas in December, giving it 242,765 overseas NEV sales in 2023, about a five-fold increase from 2022, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
BYD is also building NEV plants in Thailand, Brazil and Hungary. In addition to manufacturing overseas, the company is increasing exports from China.
On January 15, BYD announced that its first car carrier completed loading vehicles and set sail.
Called BYD Explorer No. 1 and chartered by BYD, the vessel is its first roll-on roll-off car carrier, measuring 199.9 meters in length and with 7,000 standard parking spaces.
BYD will have seven other ro-ro vessels in operation over the next two years, the company said earlier this month.
($1 = RMB 7.1786)
