Azerbaijan’s industrial story has long been told through the language of energy, such as barrels, pipelines, and export routes. However, beneath this dominant narrative, a quieter ambition has persisted for decades: to build a domestic manufacturing base capable of reducing dependence on imports and projecting economic resilience. The recent agreement between the Ganja Automobile Plant and two Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturers signals that this ambition is not only alive but evolving into something more concrete.

To understand the significance of this development, one must look back at Azerbaijan’s uneven but persistent efforts to establish an automotive industry. The foundations were laid during the Soviet era, when industrial production was centrally planned, and Azerbaijan’s role was largely auxiliary. After independence in 1991, the country faced economic disruption, institutional gaps, and a lack of capital, all of which constrained large-scale industrial projects. Still, the idea of domestic vehicle production did not disappear. The establishment of the Ganja Automobile Plant in the 2000s marked a renewed attempt to revive this sector, even if initially on a modest scale.

In its early years, the plant focused on assembling tractors and trucks in partnership with foreign manufacturers, particularly from Belarus. These projects were less........

© AzerNews