China produced almost 60 percent of the world’s electric vehicles (EVs) in 2022. In Central Asia, the market for EVs is small but growing, and Chinese companies are especially dominant. While imports from China accounted for only 3 percent of Europe’s EV sales in 2022, over 90 percent of EVs sold in Uzbekistan that year came from China. In Uzbekistan, brands like BYD are shifting perceptions of “Made in China” products.
Chinese brands also dominate EV imports to Kyrgyzstan, but unlike in Uzbekistan, where local demand is driving sales, few EVs from China can be seen on the…