ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
May 27, 2005 Friday 6:15 AM Eastern Time

GAZ automobile works to increase exports

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, May 27

The GAZ automobile-making works, in Nizhny Novgorod, is going to
increase exports by 6,000 cars as against 2004 and to bring it to
50,800, Sergei Shunin, director of exports department of the Russkie
Machiny Trade House, said on Friday at a conference, entitled
“Development of automobile market in Russia: current situation and
prospects.” The conference is being held within the framework of the
Autoforum-2006 exhibition.

According to his information, the exports will account for 21.9 per
cent of the total sales, planned for this year. In 2004, however,
exports amounted to 44,566 cars, which made 19.3 per cent of the
sales.

GAZ is going to deliver some 5,000 GAZEL and Sobol mini-buses to the
Bisan Firm, Izmir, Turkey, in 2005. In the future annual deliveries
of automobiles to Turkey will be brought to 8,000. The demand for
GAZEL and Sobol mini-buses in Turkey is estimated at 20,000 annually,
PRIME-Tass reports.

GAZ is planning to deliver this year 500 mini-buses to East European
countries, 1,500 to 2,000 – to Tajikistan, 23,000 – to Ukraine, 7,000
– to Kazakhstan and 2,000 – to Armenia. Aside from it, it is going to
deliver right-wheel cars and mini-buses to South Africa. GAZ is
planning to bring its exports to 100,000 a year by 2010.

According to Shunin, GAZ is planning to sell a total of 232,000 cars
in 2005, which exceeds the 2004 level by 0.3 per cent. The figure for
2004 was 231,321 cars.

GAZ accounts today for 6.5 per cent of Russia’s car output, 55.6 per
cent of truck output and 47.9 per cent of bus output.