Leapmotor and Uzbekistan deepen cooperation with planned factory audit and distribution deal

Initially, the import of Leapmotor vehicles to Uzbekistan was banned, but later permitted under the condition of formal cooperation between the Chinese company and Uzbek authorities.

On April 13, Leapmotor Automobile Co. Ltd. sent an official letter to the Uzbek Technical Regulation Agency and UzTest Center.

According to UzTest, the company acknowledged the unauthorized import of the C16 model into Uzbekistan and expressed readiness to take necessary measures to resolve the issues.

The letter outlines the following commitments from Leapmotor:

• The company will continue its operations in Uzbekistan only through an officially appointed distributor.
• Vehicles imported without authorization will not be recognized by the company, and no official warranty or services will be provided for them.
• Within the next 14 days, a technical audit will be conducted at Leapmotor’s production facility with the participation of UzTest specialists. Test reports for the new B10EV and B10EREV models will be presented, and a familiarization tour of the factory laboratories is also planned.
• The testing process for obtaining the vehicle type approval certificate (OTTC) will be completed shortly.
• A long-term partnership aimed at strengthening quality control will be established with UzTest.

It should be noted that in late March, Uzbekistan suspended the import of all vehicles under the Leapmotor brand after a defect was found in a Leapmotor C16 electric car imported by a private individual and tested at the Piskent laboratory.

However, by April 14, another C16 model was tested with the presence of a Leapmotor representative, and the ban was conditionally lifted based on a positive test result. In return, Leapmotor was required to appoint an official representative (legal entity) in Uzbekistan, submit the necessary documentation for type approval of imported models, and allow inspection and evaluation of their production processes and conditions at their manufacturing facilities.