Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — BYD Uzbekistan Factory, a joint venture in Jizzakh, plans to increase annual production to 500,000 vehicles under the second and third phases of its development project. The plant currently produces 12 cars per hour and 100 per day. The company expects to export US$50 million worth of vehicles by the end of the year, Uzbekistan 24 television reported following a press tour of the facility.
The first phase of the project cost US$160 million and provides annual capacity for 50,000 hybrid and electric vehicles. The project was launched in January 2024 during the Uzbek president’s visit to China. Under the second phase, costing US$300 million, annual output is expected to rise to 200,000 vehicles. The third phase, valued at US$500 million, is intended to increase capacity to 500,000 vehicles. Once all three phases are completed, the number of jobs could reach 10,000. More than 1,500 people currently work at the plant.
The factory produces the BYD Song Plus Champion DM-i crossover and BYD Chazor DM-i sedan through a full production cycle. The hybrid and fully electric BYD Yuan Up models are assembled using the large-unit assembly method.
Shavkat Alimov, deputy general director of BYD Uzbekistan Factory, said the plant occupies 27 hectares in a special economic zone. The company has requested an additional 60 hectares and plans to build a second plant on the adjacent site with an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles.
The welding shop received US$40 million in investment. According to Alimov, 40 robots were installed during the first phase, and the number has since grown to more than 100. Each vehicle undergoes around 5,000 welding points. Last year, a second welding line costing more than US$8 million was launched with 24 new robots. This year, the third phase of expansion is underway as part of the Yuan Up project.
The 7,800-square-metre paint shop, which cost US$29 million, is designed to handle 50,000 car bodies annually. It uses 10 ABB robots. The assembly line covers 16,000 square metres and cost US$26 million. It uses 21 automated guided vehicles (AGVs), robots and manipulators. A two-storey automated warehouse can hold 70 painted car bodies and keep the assembly line supplied for up to six hours if the paint shop stops operating.
US$1 million was invested in the measurement laboratory. Lead engineer Abdulla Salimov said Hexagon equipment checks every car body with an accuracy of 20 microns. For the Song Plus, it measures 2,300 points and compares them with a digital model. Final inspections cover wheel alignment, brakes, headlights and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Each vehicle is also tested for five minutes in a rain chamber under high-pressure water jets.
Alimov said the company currently exports mainly to Kazakhstan. BYD began sales there last year and opened official dealerships. It sold more than 3,000 vehicles in Kazakhstan over the year, with sales continuing to grow in 2026. The company is also working with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and studying the markets of Armenia and Georgia.
In Uzbekistan, BYD operates 27 dealerships, sales outlets and service centres, offering an eight-year warranty. The vehicles feature an Uzbek-language interface, and Uzbek voice control was introduced last year. Each car also comes with a SIM card that can be used free of charge for two years.
In 2026, the company plans to localise 100 types of components: 40 for the Song Plus, 22 for the Chazor and an initial 38 for the Yuan Up. This is expected to reduce import costs by US$714 per Song Plus, US$793 per Chazor and an average of US$2,000 per Yuan Up. Projects to localise another 70 Yuan Up components are also due to start this year.
Alimov said the Song Plus currently has a localisation rate of around 30%. The plant works with about 20 suppliers, most of them based in the Ferghana Valley. Local companies supply glass, seats, headliners, floor coverings, front bumpers, plastic fuel tanks and wiring harnesses.
The factory is now moving towards local production of more complex chassis and suspension components. Projects to manufacture tyres are being implemented in cooperation with a plant in Angren, while the company also works with enterprises in Asaka and Andijan. Several component manufacturers are beginning operations at the Jizzakh Technopark.
The engineering school at Jizzakh Polytechnic Institute trains specialists for the factory. Maksud Ochilov, the institute’s vice-rector for academic affairs, said the school selects top students in transport engineering, mechanics, mechanical engineering, and automotive and tractor engineering.
Third-year students spend two months studying at the institute and two months undertaking practical training at the plant. From the 2026–2027 academic year, 100% of fourth-year students and 50% of third-year students have been included in the dual education programme. Currently, 160 fourth-year students work at BYD Uzbekistan Factory while combining their studies, practical training and paid employment.
Institute student Khasan Khudoykulov said he and his fellow students had developed and implemented their own projects while working at the factory. Their team won the national Mirzo Ulugbek’s Heirs competition and reached the final of the Future Engineers electric vehicle competition.
According to CarNewsChina, BYD sold 4,602,436 vehicles worldwide in 2025, placing it among the world’s five largest automakers. In the first nine months of 2026, the company sold 3,131,576 vehicles. September sales reached 463,561, up 17% year on year.
