Kazakhstan’s car market is expected to be successful in 2017. This forecast was provided by the management of the Kazakhstan’s Car Business Association. According to experts, Kazakhstan’s car market showed strong growth as early as in 2016. This was due to increased sales in the domestic market. Last year, car dealers sold almost 47,000 new cars with the label “Made in Kazakhstan”. The measures of state support and concessional lending programs contributed to the growth.

ANTON AFONIN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CAR MANUFACTURER:

In the last 1.5 years, the share of local content has grown almost twofold and it totaled 26% in 2016.

This year, car manufacturers plan to sell more than 55,000 Kazakhstani cars. Another famous brand will enter Kazakhstani market in March. Production will significantly increase at the Kostanay car factory. The company has the capacity to produce up to 12,000 cars.

SERGEY MOGILATOV, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, KOSTANAY CAR MANUFACTURER:

The year of 2017 will be fruitful. I believe that those tasks that we have set will be implemented. We have mastered production of electric vehicles. This is a breakthrough direction. In SKD assembly, we do various models including Peugeot, Hyundai. These are new car models for Kazakhstani market, and these models are already on sale.

ANDREY LAVRENTYEV, PRESIDENT, KAZAKHSTAN CAR BUSINESS ASSOCIATION:

Anyway, it is good news for us as customers because the more cars are produced in our country, the less they will cost, that, of course benefits everyone.

In addition, more cars meet the mandatory Euro-5 standard starting from this year Another tendency of 2017 is boosting of electric cars manufacturing. According to experts’ estimates, there are conditions to do so. 150,000 electric cars will consume only 0.4% of power that is produced in Kazakhstan, one million of such cars will need not more than 2.5% of the total energy capacity.