MINSK, 19 January (BelTA) – During a working trip to Borisov District, Minsk Oblast, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko will visit the BelGee car manufacturer, BelTA has learned.
The head of state will be briefed on the state of affairs in the automotive industry and electric transport, the state and prospects of BelGee, the development of an electric version of BelGee X50 car - the BelGee E-X50 electric car.
The head of state will also see an exposition of products made by BelGee, the Unison joint venture, and electric vehicles produced by enterprises affiliated with the Industry Ministry and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
Efforts to create Belarusian cars in Belarus focus on several fields at present.
SZAO BelGee is at the forefront of these efforts. The company has been licensed to make the X50 car model. Work has been organized to substitute a number of imported automobile components and materials with Belarusian ones. The company intends to get licenses to make two more models (X70, S50) in 2024. A plan on modernizing the car factory to increase its output capacity up to 120,000 cars while operating in two shifts is being authorized.
The licenses to make X50, X70, and S50 car models will allow stepping up the substitution of imported automobile components and ultimately creating competences for not only making cars but also for designing and modernizing them.
An X50 car has been handed over to the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for the sake of creating a Belarusian electric car. Once design work is over, SZAO BelGee will take care of batch production of the Belarusian electric car.
The production of Hongqi cars (a brand of the Chinese company FAW) at premises of the Belarusian company ZAO Unison represents a new direction in the development of the Belarusian car manufacturing industry. The current agreements will enable not only semi-knocked down (SKD) assembly but also completely knocked down (CKD) assembly of cars with consequent localization of manufacturing of individual nodes and components.
On the whole, automobile production in Belarus develops rapidly in various areas. Two pilot projects are being implemented in the country to switch passenger transportation to electric vehicles in Zhodino and in Shklov District. The projects provide for developing the relevant infrastructure. The projects are supposed to be completed and the relevant electric vehicles are supposed to be delivered in Q1 2024. The goal is to gradually increase the use of electricity for passenger transportation, reduce air pollution, and put the country’s available competences in the field of production of electric vehicles and charging stations into practice.
