Minister of Industry and Construction Ersayin Nagaspayev discussed prospects for creating a domestic auto brand in Kazakhstan during a government briefing, reports infohub.kz.
According to the minister, a domestic brand is one way to improve the country's image. "Every country that manufactures cars probably aspires to create its own brand, but not every country has one. There are 15–20 countries in the world that do. Even large countries don't have their own brand," Nagaspayev said.
He also noted that there is no clear information yet on the Proton project, initially envisioned as the foundation for a Kazakh auto brand. "Currently, we have no clear information on Proton; the project is under development. Baiterek is in negotiations, but there are no specifics," the minister added.
Meanwhile, Nagaspayev said auto companies have been tasked with creating their own brand. "The ministry fully supports this and will provide backing. But it's a process. We must understand that in pursuit of image, we cannot resolve this issue in a day. We cannot name a specific marque or base model yet, but negotiations are ongoing. This issue will be resolved in the near future," he stressed.