Belarusian-Chinese car maker BelGee expects to expand into new markets by 2020

Belarusian-Chinese car maker BelGee said Thursday that it is considering increasing its capacity and expanding into new markets in Eastern Europe and the Eurasian Economic Union.

The company's Acting Director General Gennady Svidersky said that the joint venture expects to export one third of its output to the markets of neighboring countries such as Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia by 2020. Negotiations have been held with Moldova and Kazakhstan, too.

An administrative building with the BelGee logo is seen at the Belarusian-Chinese closed joint-stock company BelGee plant in Zhodino, Belarus November 18, 2017. [Photo: VCG]

The company has produced about 5,000 cars since the beginning of the year. About 3,000 were sold in Russia and 1,800 in Belarus.

Svidersky said the company intends to expand its production capacity to 1,400 cars per month by the end of this year in view of the strong demand.

At present, BelGee makes about 1,000 cars per month.

Svidersky said BelGee's localization of production has reached 50 percent. Power units, radiators and seats have already been produced in new factories built near BelGee. Tires are supplied by Belarusian tire producer Belshina and batteries by Belarusian and Russian producers.

BelGee is the result of cooperation between Chinese and Belarusian firms led by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and dump-truck manufacturer BelAZ. The idea was floated in December 2011. Construction on a 118-hectare factory between Borisov and the industrial city of Zhodino began in March 2015. The plant is designed to make 60,000 cars a year when fully operational.