Central Asia is gaining more and more importance for the automotive industry – both as a sales market and production site. Five countries, lots of potentialMade up of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, Central Asia is increasingly coming into the focus of the international automotive industry. At 36 million inhabitants, Uzbekistan is not only the most populous country in Central Asia, but has also traditionally been the region’s industrial heartland. Additionally, re-export routes via Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have established the region as a hub for parallel imports,” says Nodir Ayupov, Schneider Group’s Central Asia expert. In terms of foreign and economic policy, the countries of Central Asia are trying to maintain open relations with all parties.