Azernews.Az

Fuad Guliyev

Nakhchivan automobile plant NAZ will manufacture new generation of cars in cooperation with Chinese auto producer Lifan.

NAZ will produce new series of Sino-Azeri cars, Lifan 820, Lifan X80 and X50.

Production capacity of NAZ is 5,000 cars a year but this number can easily be doubled to 10,000 if there is an increased demand by customers. The plant has been already producing various models of Lifan and new models will be introduced to the production line.

It is also planned to extend the warranty period for NAZ Lifan cars.

Assembly of these new cars will mark beginning of an important milestone in assuring the best quality for cars, which are designed to feature better safety mechanisms.

NAZ Lifan hopes to capture middle class section in the market of Azerbaijan, which has the most advanced economy in the region.

Polad Sadikhov, deputy director of NAZ, automobile production plant in Nakhchivan, underlined that demand for Chinese automobiles has been growing rapidly and the plant plans to increase production to this demand. Ganja automobile plant, Azsigorta and Azpetrol are the very first large customers of NAZ-Lifan.

Following the economic crisis by force of low oil prices the energy rich Azerbaijan is keen to expand the domestic production and encourages interior purchases within the country. Thus, buying 1,933 cars for war veterans from the manufacturer the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection in fact became one of the largest consumers of NAZ Lifan. Minister Salim Muslimov liked the cars so much he even decided to buy one for himself.

President Ilham Aliyev recommended to officials buy more of domestically produced automobiles, during the conference dedicated to The State Program on Socio-Economic Development of Regions on January 26.

During the meeting with NAZ, Chinese partners decided to establish a country office of Lifan.