How Chinese cars can win reputation in Central Asia (economic focus)

Photo by our reporter Gong Han

Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan in June, is sunny with gentle breezes. There is a constant flow of vehicles on the road, many of which are Chinese brand cars.

Sitting in a taxi and learning that the reporter was from China, the local driver took the initiative to introduce his car. This Chery car was bought by me last year, the price is very reasonable, and the performance is also very good, "the driver said." Look, the tail of the bus in front of me says' YUTONG ', which is also from China. Here, I can see many Chinese brand cars every day. ”

On Turan Street in Astana, at the 4S store of Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Jianghuai Automobile"), sales manager Ruslan is busy introducing products to customers. This J7P model is very popular, and there are also many car purchase discounts available in the store. ”Ruslan said that recently, many consumers have come to the store to choose and buy cars.

In 2014, Jianghuai Automobile began to explore the Kazakhstan market. At the end of 2015, the first batch of products were successfully assembled and launched in Kazakhstan. As of now, Jianghuai Automobile's sales market has spread across five Central Asian countries, with over 100 4S stores.

Kustanay is a famous "automobile city" and the location of the manufacturing factory of Arul Group, the largest automobile manufacturer in Kazakhstan. Jianghuai Automobile also has 4S stores here.

Recently, the total monthly sales of the store have been close to 70 units, and the performance has been continuously improving, "said Vladimir, the head of the sales outlet." The best-selling model in the store now is the S3, which is a small SUV. Every time we buy 10 units, they are basically sold out within 5 days. Young people here like Chinese cars and think that Jianghuai cars are good-looking, have high safety, and affordable prices. ”

Vladimir, 36 years old this year, became a salesperson at Jianghuai Automobile more than 10 years ago. At that time, I was still a third level agent and could only sell about 10 units per month. At that time, my monthly salary was equivalent to 3000 yuan, "Vladimir recalled. As Jianghuai Automobile's market share gradually expanded and business became better, he also became the person in charge of the branch." Now we can directly pick up goods from the factory, and the basic salary of sales personnel has increased to 4500 yuan. There is also a commission for every car sold, and the income is quite good locally

The factory mentioned by Vladimir is the automobile manufacturing factory of the Arul Group. In 2019, China Machinery Import and Export Corporation, a subsidiary of General Technology Group, jointly invested in Arul Group with Jianghuai Automobile. This is the first cooperation project in the automotive industry field between Chinese enterprises in Central Asia, "said Sun Yafeng, the project manager of Jianghuai Automobile in Kazakhstan.

In order to improve the production technology level of Arul Group, Jianghuai Automobile has collaborated with Arul Group to update and transform the hardware equipment for welding, painting and other processes, and has arranged for key employees of Arul Group to study at the headquarters in Hefei, Anhui for a long time. In addition, we also regularly send domestic technical personnel to Arul Group for on-site guidance to help them solve problems encountered in production in a timely manner, "said Sun Yafeng.

The cooperation has achieved significant results. In 2024, Arul Group's annual automobile production will exceed 90000 units, accounting for over 60% of the total automobile production in Kazakhstan. At the same time, in 2024, Jianghuai Automobile's annual terminal sales in Kazakhstan exceeded 13000 units, a year-on-year increase of 50.2%, and its market share exceeded 6%, "said Sun Yafeng.

In September 2024, Jianghuai Automobile's commercial vehicle assembly production line for all parts was officially put into operation in Kazakhstan. Sun Yafeng said, "Relying on this production line, locally produced batteries, tires, etc. in Kazakhstan have been included in the procurement plan, which marks a breakthrough for Jianghuai Automobile in localized production and market integration, driving the development of the local automotive industry chain

Industrial cooperation also brings more job opportunities. Before the cooperation, Arul Group had less than 1200 employees, and currently the total number of employees has reached nearly 4000, "Sun Yafeng introduced.

Alexander, who is 26 years old this year, is one of them. He is now a technical director at Arul Group. At the beginning, I was a fitter on the production line with a monthly salary equivalent to 1200 RMB. After multiple technical trainings, I became a technical supervisor and my salary increased to 7000 RMB, "Alexander said.

Changan Automobile has also received high praise from local consumers.

Since entering Kazakhstan in 2022, Changan Automobile has consistently ranked in the top ten in terms of sales. In May of this year, sales exceeded 1500 units, setting a new high, "said Huang Shuhao, Channel Manager of Changan Automobile's Eurasia Business Unit." In addition, we have entered markets such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan in recent years, and are expected to enter the Turkmenistan market this year to provide comprehensive services to the Central Asian market

In order to provide better services, Changan Automobile customizes export cars according to the climate characteristics, cultural customs, and policy differences of different markets. For example, in Uzbekistan, based on local terminal market demand, filling the demand gap in logistics, agricultural transportation and other fields around the commercial vehicle sector; In Kazakhstan, in response to the demand of local consumers for high chassis to adapt to complex road conditions, the suspension system of SUV models has been strengthened... "In addition to the above configurations, Changan Automobile's infotainment system is also equipped with Kazakh and Uzbek languages. These localized improvements have earned Changan Automobile a good reputation in the local market," said Huang Shuhao.

The automotive industry is now becoming a prominent area of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries. With the continuous deepening of cooperation, more achievements will emerge, injecting more vitality into the local people's income growth and regional economic development.

(Reported by Wang Zi)