Domestic car production surges 10 percent as BYD and Cobalt lead growth

Uzbekistan’s passenger car production reached 148,859 units during the first four months of the year, showing an increase of nearly 10% compared to the same period in 2025, according to the National Statistics Committee. Automotive plants across the country assembled slightly over 40,000 vehicles in April alone, outperforming the production figures of April last year by 5.2%.

Photo: KUN.UZ

The Chevrolet Cobalt maintained its dominant position as the country's most manufactured vehicle. Output for the model reached 53,800 units during the four-month period, marking a 20.2% increase year-on-year. This upward trend was supported by strong assembly lines in April, during which 15,400 Cobalt units rolled off the line – a 22,8% jump compared to April 2025.

In contrast, performance across other domestic and localized brands remained highly uneven, with most manufacturers experiencing downward adjustments in April.

The Chevrolet Damas secured the second spot with 28,300 vehicles manufactured since the start of the year, despite a production contraction of over 5%. In April, Damas production fell to 6,849 units, down 9.25% compared to the same month last year. Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Tracker saw its cumulative volume reach 14,500 units, edging up by 3% due to a stronger April output of 3,772 vehicles. The Chevrolet Onix did not fare as well; its four–month production volume stood at 12,259 units, which is just over 80% of the volume recorded during the same period in 2025. Monthly assembly for the Onix in April slid by just under 5% to 3,300 cars.

Among foreign and joint-venture brands, Kia retained the highest cumulative volume with 8,882 vehicles across all models since January, representing a modest 2% year-on-year increase. However, the brand suffered a sharp decline in April, with monthly output plunging by nearly 30% to 1,777 units.

On the other hand, BYD continues to assert itself as the fastest-growing automotive brand in the Uzbek market. The Chinese manufacturer produced 1,900 vehicles in April alone, a substantial 40.3% increase compared to April last year. Over the first four months of the year, BYD’s local production volume exceeded 7,000 units, soaring 64% above the previous year's levels.

Other brands manufacturing locally faced distinct setbacks in April despite stable cumulative figures. Haval’s overall output reached 3,425 cars, outperforming last year's four-month total by 30%, even though its April numbers plummeted by 40%. Chery recorded a contraction across both metrics, with its monthly production in April dropping by nearly a quarter to 591 vehicles, bringing its year-to-date total to 2,572 units – an 8% decline compared to 2025.