Ganja Auto Plant ( az, Gəncə Avtomobil Zavodu) is an auto assembly plant situated in the
Ganja
Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: aːɲd ...
city in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
. The factory was founded in 1986 as KiAZ (Kirovabad Automobile Plant) for a production of run of 30,000 "
GAZelle
A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, ''Eudorcas'' and ''Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third f ...
" vans according to the project brief. The commissioning was intended to end in 1989 but following a decision of Council of Ministers of the former
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
the construction of the factory was interrupted and the technological project was given to the
Bryansk Automobile Plant
Bryansk Automobile Plant (BAZ, russian: Брянский автомоби́льный заво́д, БАЗ, Bryansky Avtomobilny Zavod) is a Russian manufacturer of military vehicles based in Bryansk, Russia.
It was established in 1958 as a s ...
. The 256
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...
s of overall territory, including the 50 hectares of the factory footprint itself, stayed without utilization for 15 years.
Construction of an automobile plant was considered by the government after the end of the Soviet Union when Azerbaijan had obtained its independence. Since 1994 the giant and famous automobile companies of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
showed interest in the facility, but negotiations held with them ended without a deal.
In December 2004 the Ganja automobile plant started manufacturing and the first car built at the factory was sold. In 2008 the plant produced about 600 cars and tractors.
History
Construction of the plant began in 1986 under the name KiAZ (Kirovabad Automobile Factory). The production capacity of the plant was designed to produce 30,000 cars. Construction of the plant for the project was supposed to end in 1989, but because of the collapse of the Soviet Union the construction and operation of the plant was postponed indefinitely. After Azerbaijan gained the independence, in 1993, Turkish company
Otokar
Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi A.Ş., also known simply as Otokar, is a Turkish bus and military vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Sakarya, Turkey. Otokar is a subsidiary of Koç Holding.
History
Otokar was founded in 1963 as Turkey's ...
, showed the interest in factory but due to political change production never implemented. In December 2004 it opened as the Gyandzha Auto Plant and the first car that came out of their production line was presented that year. In the year 2008 the factory produced about 600 vehicles, both cars and tractors, also later bus assembly was started.
This plant serves as one example of the Azeri government's efforts to show progress in diversifying its economy, which has traditionally always been largely dependent on the production oil and gas, and has been able to serve other purposes, in particular, to give a factual basis for political propaganda of the government. It also downplays some of the states main weaknesses, such as having been formerly totally dependent on the import of transport equipment from other nations.
Despite the efforts made at this plant to increase production by Russian interests, the overall production is still very low, being measured in just hundreds of units annuals, where the facility's original concept would accommodate increased production, thousands of units annually.
Recently
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...
n and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n investors have visited the plant in order to see the progress made and the production of their products in this factory, as well as Belarusian investors.
The opening of the Azerbaijan-Belarus tractor producing plant took place on April 15, 2019 in Turkey, a source in the Ganja Automobile Plant Production Association told AzVision.az.
UAZ
UAZ or Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (russian: Ульяновский Автомобильный Завод, УАЗ, Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, UAZ, Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, UAZ) is an automobile manufacturer based in Ulyanovsk, Russia, ...
:*
UAZ-3151
The UAZ-469 is an off-road military light utility vehicle manufactured by UAZ. It was used by Soviet and other Warsaw Pact armed forces, as well as paramilitary units in Eastern Bloc countries. In the Soviet Union, it also saw widespread service ...
2 (2006, 2007-present)
:*
UAZ-3151
The UAZ-469 is an off-road military light utility vehicle manufactured by UAZ. It was used by Soviet and other Warsaw Pact armed forces, as well as paramilitary units in Eastern Bloc countries. In the Soviet Union, it also saw widespread service ...
4 (2006, 2007-present)
:*
UAZ-3151
The UAZ-469 is an off-road military light utility vehicle manufactured by UAZ. It was used by Soviet and other Warsaw Pact armed forces, as well as paramilitary units in Eastern Bloc countries. In the Soviet Union, it also saw widespread service ...
UAZ Hunter
The UAZ-469 is an off-road military light utility vehicle manufactured by UAZ. It was used by Soviet and other Warsaw Pact armed forces, as well as paramilitary units in Eastern Bloc countries. In the Soviet Union, it also saw widespread service ...
(2006, 2007–present)
:*
UAZ Simbir
The UAZ Simbir (Russian: Симбир for Leopard), or UAZ-3162, is a model of off-road vehicle produced at the Russian Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant in 2000–2005. This car is a completely new model in relation to the UAZ-469 and modifications ba ...
MAZ
Maz or MAZ may refer to:
* IATA code for Eugenio María de Hostos Airport, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
* Minsk Automobile Plant, abbreviated in Belarusian as MAZ
* Myc-associated zinc finger protein, a protein encoded by the ''MAZ'' gene
* Maz, a vill ...
MAZ
Maz or MAZ may refer to:
* IATA code for Eugenio María de Hostos Airport, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
* Minsk Automobile Plant, abbreviated in Belarusian as MAZ
* Myc-associated zinc finger protein, a protein encoded by the ''MAZ'' gene
* Maz, a vill ...
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
Azsamand
AzSamand was an automobile factory belonging to Evsen Group Company located in Şamaxı, Azerbaijan.
History
The project opened in October 2005, with the support of the Government of Azerbaijan. The automobiles branded "Aziz" have the "AzSamand" ...
*
Nakhchivan Automobile Plant
Nakhchivan Automobile Plant ( az, Naxçıvan Avtomobil Zavodu), better known as NAZ, is an automobile manufacturer in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.
History
Nakhchivan Automobile Factory was founded in 2006. It was put into o ...