The state-owned Empresa Integral de Servicios Automotores (EISA) of Cuba and the Russian company ECHO-Export SRL signed a agreement for the assembly and sustainability of vehicles from the lines produced by the Russian manufacturer Ulyanovski Avtomobilny Zavod (UAZ), as well as for the recovery of cars of that brand present in Cuba for decades.
Engineer Miguel Ángel Pedroso Madin, Business Director of EISA, told Sputnik That this agreement, signed during the recently concluded IV International Exhibition of Cuban Industry (Cubaindustria 2024)includes in a first stage the Patriot and Pickup models, and in a second phase they foresee the assembly of light cargo vehicles of the Profi brand, with the objective of substituting imports, generating a direct impact on the improvement of transportation on the Island and take advantage of its adaptability for any sector of the economy.
Within the agreement, is the transformation of Pickup cars to provide services such as hearses., the lack of which is currently “one of the main problems associated with the sector,” according to the official. In recent years, relatives of the deceased have been forced to transport their loved ones in whatever they can get: from truck beds to horse carts.
Ruslán Ignátev, technical director and vice representative of ECHO-Export SRL, said that this company has been present in Cuba for 20 years and, therefore, knows the peculiarities of the EISA company, belonging to the Business Group of the Sideromechanical Industry, with a nationwide service infrastructure and repair experience.
“We start from the good intergovernmental relations that exist and then take them to the business level. We also provide continuity to the exchange of products between the two countries and We intend to expand the line of UAZ cars in Cuba. We can contribute in all areas where there is a need for transportation,” he told Sputnik.
According to Ignatev, “It is not only about bringing and selling” cars in Cuba, but also “organizing after-sales services.” that favor the sustainability of automobiles and guarantee an increase in their useful life, based on the periodic supply of Russian parts.”
“Are Automobiles with a wide range and very strong, hence they can be used in agriculture, industry, cargo and transportation, and are also very versatile within cities.. The first cars of this line are already on the way, with the aim of technicians becoming familiar with them, studying the market and its acceptance,” he said.
In a first stage, the delivery of 300 to 350 cars is planned, a figure that will increase depending on needs and demand.
For his part, Danilo Gómez Céspedes, a specialist at ECHO-Export SRL, indicated to the official Russian media that the Cuban market is familiar with the UAZ SUVs that have been circulating on the country’s streets for decades.
These vehicles and the classic UAZ 452 models, popularly known as Guasabitas, “are currently in a certain state of disrepair and require restoration and modernization,” Gómez admitted. He said that the Ministry of Transportation requested the use of that version as an ambulance and to transport medicines to intricate places that are difficult to access.
Recently, the minister of Transport of Cuba, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, assured that negotiations with Russia in recent years have had a “direct” impact on passenger transportation. and loads within the Island, contradicting not only the reality that ordinary Cubans live when they try to move from one place to another, but also the discouraging official figures who has offered his ministry this same year.
Rodríguez Dávila affirmed, when appearing on the regime’s propaganda program “From the Presidency”, hosted by Miguel Díaz-Canel, that Public transportation in Cuba today moves only 2.7 million travelers daily, compared to 5.9 million five years agoin what constitutes one of the worst crises in the sector.
The official acknowledged that the Government does not have the income and fuel necessary to solve the problem. This, while Cuban authorities import new police vehicles to support the repression of the people and entrepreneurs from the non-state sector purchase luxury cars in the United States.
