Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Ambassador of Uzbekistan Javlon Vakhabov met with General Motors Vice President for Global Affairs Tom Cooney, Dunyo news agency reported.

During the meeting, the American side highly appreciated the cooperation between General Motors and Uzavtosanoat, noting the wide range of cars produced in Uzbekistan. According to the vice president, over the past 10 years, 1.57 million cars have been produced in Uzbekistan, which have been sold both in the domestic and export markets, and more than 27,000 jobs have been created.

As it was emphasized, today cars are produced on the GM Global Emerging Markets platform, introduced at the Asaka Automobile Plant and the enterprises of its local partners in 2021. The volume of capital investments invested in the modernization of enterprises exceeds US$620 million. At the same time, Tom Cooney reported a high level of localization, and in the near future the program plans to reach more than 50%.

The Vice President of GM also noted that the company continues to work on the development of the automotive industry in Uzbekistan, providing customers with the opportunity to access the best American automotive technologies. In particular, the prospects for the electrification of cars in Uzbekistan were discussed jointly with General Motors. It is known that by the end of 2025 GM plans to transfer 40% of its production to electricity, and by 2040 become completely carbon neutral. A number of General Motors electric vehicles today are equipped with Ultium batteries, their range on a single charge reaches 600 km. The time for a full charge of electric vehicles is 5-6 hours, and the battery life reaches 15-20 years. The technology used allows GM to create electric units ranging from 235 to 1000 horsepower, which formed the basis of many models manufactured by the company.

According to the Embassy of our country, President of General Motors International Shilpan Amin plans to visit Uzbekistan on 21-24 October. During meetings and negotiations in Tashkent, the head of GM intends to discuss the current state of cooperation between GM and Uzbekistan, in particular with Uzavto, as well as further steps to develop the auto industry in our republic.