OREANDA-NEWS. October 31, 2011. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton toured General Motors’ new engine plant in Tashkent city of Uzbekistan, ahead of its official opening next month.

General Director of GM Powertrain Uzbekistan Juergen Spendel joined Clinton on the tour of the 40-hectare facility, which will begin production of a new generation of fuel-efficient engines for GM’s range of small cars manufactured in Uzbekistan and other markets.

General Motors and Uzavtosanoat created a joint venture on production of automobile engines in the end of 2008. General Motors holds 52% stake in GM Powertrain Uzbekistan.

The project cost is US1.8 million. General Motors Powertrain Uzbekistan will produce BDONC engine with the volume of 1.2 liters (82 horsepower) and 1.5 liters (115 horsepower). The capacity of the enterprise is 200,000 engines a year.

The enterprise produced the first engines in test mode in the end of August 2011. It is expected that the venture will start serial production of engines in November 2011.

Hillary Clinton said that the enterprise is bright reflection of the cooperation of the US companies and Uzbekistan.

She said that the enterprise will become symbol of cooperation and friendly relations between two nations. The enterprise is designed in cooperation of the US and Uzbek engineers, architects and constructed in line with nature protection principles.

US official said that GM activity in Uzbekistan help to strengthen economic cooperation between the USA and Uzbekistan and expansion of relation in this direction with countries of Southern and Central Asia.