MINSK, 17 November (BelTA) – A draft decree to stimulate the purchase of SZAO BelGee's cars by Belarusian people is in the pipeline, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the meeting with the personnel of the car factory on 17 November, BelTA has learned.
“We are thinking of the ways to help people buy these cars. Families need cars. Therefore, it is essential to find ways to support you. I think we will find good variants. The document will be signed in the near future,” Alexander Lukashenko said. “We are mulling over various options, including deferred payment loans and leasing.”
According to Alexander Lukashenko, the state is interested in the big popularity of Belarusian cars among Belarusians. “But there is another objective, which is to produce more cars. We will increase the capacity two times. I think that we will sell 60,000 cars, and then our goal will be 120,000 cars,” the president said, “I want this enterprise to be profitable.”
To make the production profitable it will be necessary to sell at least 35,000 cars per year. “But 60,000 cars will mean good work, decent salaries, and development,” Alexander Lukashenko remarked.
The Belarusian-Chinese joint venture SZAO BelGee was established in 2011 to make Geely brand cars. The company assembled the first car in February 2013.
The construction of the factory to assemble cars using completely knocked down kits began in late March 2015. The new factory is located between Borisov and Zhodino and occupies about 120ha. The factory is designed to make 60,000 cars per annum once the first stage is fully operational.
Plans have been made to use the full fabrication cycle to make Geely NL3 and NL4 crossovers and the Geely FE3 sedan.
In 2017 the new car factory is expected to make about 1,800 vehicles. More will be made and sold in 2018. In 2018 and 2019 the new car factory is supposed to make 25,000 cars and 35,000 cars respectively.
