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New Chevrolet small car to be built at GM Uzbekistan joint venture

2010-02-11

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Seoul/Zurich. Representatives of General Motors Company in Korea and UzAvtoSanoat of Uzbekistan today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Seoul, Korea, for their GM Uzbekistan joint venture to launch the production of a new small vehicle mainly destined for emerging markets.

The MOU was signed by GM DAT Vice President Product Planning & Program Management Dwenell Mills and UzAvtoSanoat Vice Chairman Shukhrat Yusupov, in the presence of Republic of Uzbekistan First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov.

Today's agreement will enable GM Uzbekistan, a joint venture between GM and UzAvtoSanoat in Asaka, Uzbekistan, to manufacture and sell a new small Chevrolet vehicle developed for the rapidly growing emerging markets in the region. GM Uzbekistan already manufactures and markets models such as the Chevrolet Matiz, Lacetti and Captiva.

The MOU will also enable Chevrolet to continue to grow its business in Uzbekistan, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Russia.

"The excellent cars jointly produced and exported by UzAvtoSanoat and GM DAT are contributing greatly to the growth of Uzbekistan's automotive industry and economic development," said Azimov. He continued, "Uzbekistan's automotive industry will reach global standards in the near future with the help and support of General Motors and agreements like this one."

"Uzbekistan, where we recently also began construction of a new powertrain facility, is Chevrolet's core production base in the high-potential markets of Central Asia and a significant strategic partner for our export business," said GM DAT President and CEO Mike Arcamone. "We will continue to support our Uzbekistan operations through the introduction of new products and the means to build them."

GM Uzbekistan was established in March 2008, with GM holding a 25 percent stake and UzAvtoSanoat the remaining 75 percent. The joint venture has an annual production capacity of 250,000 units. Its vehicles are sold in Uzbekistan via GM's sales operations and exported to numerous neighboring countries.

About Chevrolet

Chevrolet is General Motors' leading global brand with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. It is the fourth biggest global car brand in terms of sales and also one of the fastest growing brands in the world. Chevrolet delivers attractive, distinctive design, practical, economical cars and outstanding value for money. After re-launching the brand in Europe in 2005, Chevrolet more than doubled its sales to over 500,000 in 2008. The new Chevrolet line-up includes the all-new Spark city car, the small Aveo, compact Cruze sedan, Captiva SUV and mid-size Epica. Chevrolet's biggest markets in Europe are Russia, Italy, Germany, France and Spain. Established in the U.S. by Swiss émigré Louis Chevrolet in 1911, the brand is preparing to celebrate its centenary with the launch of the ground-breaking Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle. More information on Chevrolet can be found at http://www.chevroleteurope.com or http://media.chevroleteurope.com.