Kazakh car industry lures Chinese bus giant
Michal Bardavid
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China and Kazakhstan have been cooperating in many areas, especially since Kazakhstan began taking part in Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Infrastructure, agriculture and transportation are among the industries in which businesses from both countries cooperate. And with a major agreement between Chinese bus giant Golden Dragon Bus and Astana Motors – Chinese buses will soon be frequently seen on the streets of Kazakhstan. 
 At the end of 2018, China's Golden Dragon Bus signed an agreement with Astana Motors to manufacture their buses in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh government hopes to increase local production. 
With that intention in mind, the Development Bank of Kazakhstan is offering a special low-interest loan rate of 3 percent to customers of Astana motors who want to buy the Chinese Golden Dragon buses because they are locally manufactured here in Almaty. 
For the Golden Dragon Bus, it was also important to support a project launched by Kazakhstan's newly retired president Nursultan Nazarbayev called Nurly Zhol. 
The project aims to benefit the people of Kazakhstan with the renovation of roads and transportation. Astana Motors deal to manufacture and sell Golden Dragon Bus vehicles is also in line with the goals of this project. 
Astana motors office in Almaty. /CGTN Photo

Astana motors office in Almaty. /CGTN Photo

The buses have three engine powers options, diesel, gas, and electric…. and comply with international standard requirements such as the Euro-5. Golden Dragon Bus officials also explain that the use of monocoque technology gives the brand a competitive advantage. 
The sales director of Central Asia for Golden Dragon Bus, Saulet Kassymkhanov stresses “the external bus structure is made of high-quality light metal. This lightens the weight of the bus, and also it helps the efficiency of the engine and the transmission of the bus”. 
Another bonus for customers of these buses will be that Astana Motors also provides its customers with after-sales maintenance support. 
The sales director of Astana Motors, Gayev Adilbek explains that their mobile services will be available to support their customers, he says “We can offer on our vehicle we send our team of our mechanics, and we can make service anytime anywhere. So, and the other option is when the customer is purchasing our buses, we can provide them the main spare parts for 100,000 kilometers, it's a very important reality”. 
The Golden Dragon Bus officials also state that their vehicles are manufactured to fit everyone's needs, including people with disabilities. With a starting price of approximately eighty-four thousand dollars, Astana Motors and Golden Dragon Buses believe they are putting a high-quality, cost-effective bus on the Kazakhstan market.