Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- UzAuto Motors has suspended accepting new applications for the sale of Chevrolet Lacetti, Cobalt, Damas and Labo cars. The company will focus on the production of already pre-ordered cars, the statement of the company said.

“Given the abnormal growth in demand for cars in Uzbekistan, exacerbated by global challenges, the company believes it is right to follow the example of a number of other global automakers by temporarily suspending the acceptance of new applications for the sale of Chevrolet Lacetti, Cobalt, Damas and Labo cars, focusing on the production of already pre-ordered cars,” the carmaker said.

“The company hopes for the understanding of those who wish to purchase these cars, but in the current circumstances, the main priority of UzAuto Motors is to fulfill the obligations already assumed. We are confident that with your support, the company will soon be able to stabilize the situation, and these models will again become available for purchase,” the company said.

According to the company, global crises with semiconductors and logistics, as well as geopolitical turbulence, have led to a protracted crisis in the automotive industry around the world. Widespread shortages of microchips, disruption of supply chains, and the impact of cross-sanctions have forced many automakers to scale back production, trim packages, and even close factories.

The crises have also resulted in car shortages and longer waiting times around the world. Buyers in Europe have to wait up to 22 months for their cars, the situation is similar in South Korea, where the queues stretched up to 2 years. At the same time, global crises have significantly affected the cost of cars - only since October of this year, car brands represented in Uzbekistan have raised their price tags by more than 8% on average.

During this year, UzAuto Motors also brought the plants to the maximum production capacity, which is 300,000 vehicles per year. If last year the volume of production amounted to 235,000 cars, this year, in the conditions of the most severe global crisis, the company has achieved an increase in production by 31%, having produced more than 310,000 cars from January to the present day.

UzAuto Motors noted that Uzbekistan has seen an abnormal growth in demand for Chevrolet products this year. If last year the average monthly number of contracts for the purchase of Chevrolet cars was 21,000 units, then in November of this year alone, more than 76,000 contracts were concluded.

However, more than 90,000 vehicles (nearly a third of annual production) purchased in 2022 were resold by buyers, according to the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. It is obvious that such a high proportion of "resellers" could not but affect the waiting time of ordinary buyers and created an artificial shortage in the market.

UzAuto Motors team continues to do everything possible to ensure a monthly increase in the rate of contracting. To increase production volumes, the supply of components was established, including by air, and to solve the problems of cargo transportation at the government level, the issues of prioritizing the transportation of goods by UzAuto Motors were resolved. These and other unprecedented measures ensured the maximum supply of automotive components, which in turn ensured the uninterrupted operation of the plant. Negotiations with GM and a number of microchip manufacturers made it possible to provide additional supplies of semiconductors and produce more cars than was predicted in the conditions of the crisis. In addition to increasing production volumes, the company redirected part of the export volumes of cars to the domestic market.

On the part of UzAuto, an agreement was reached with General Motors to increase production for 2023 to 500,000 vehicles per year, super-possible in the context of global crises. It should be noted that such an impressive increase in production capacity requires not only time, but also large-scale investments.