All articles by Vladislav Vorotnikov – Page 4
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FeatureNissan plans to expand output in Russia
Nissan plans to increase production at its plant in St Petersburg, Russia, this year and build on last year’s record-breaking sales, Nissan Manufacturing Rus general director, Igor Boitsov, has revealed.Given low forecast sales on the domestic Russian market, however, this may depend on increasing exports to adjacent markets, he admitted.Nissan ...
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FeatureUzavtosanoat to rename GM Uzbekistan and raise output
Uzbekistan state-owned corporation Uzavtosanoat has confirmed it plans to rename GM Uzbekistan following the withdrawal of the US carmaker from the joint venture. It has not yet indicated what its new name will be.At a press conference in Tashkent on February 6, Aziz Shukurov, deputy chairman of the board of ...
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FeatureMercedes van assembly frozen at Gaz Group plant
A parts shortage believed to stem from US sanctions has forced Daimler to temporarily halt assembly of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans at the Gaz plant in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia.Citing several sources, Russian news outlet Kommersant suggested the parts shortage could be the result of US sanctions against companies owned or controlled ...
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FeatureRenault plans home delivery for online sales in Russia
Renault has announced plans to start a home delivery service in Russia for vehicles sold via its online showroom.The French carmaker told Russian newspaper Vedomosti that the start of the home delivery service would coincide with the release of the Renault Arkana (pictured) in May this year. It will make ...
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FeatureHanging in the balance
Lower production output, slower growth in export markets and several regulatory and operational issues are threatening to unbalance Poland’s finished vehicle market
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FeatureFord reviews joint venture with Sollers in Russia
Ford may close some or all of the plants it operates in Russia with local carmaker Sollers, according to the Russian government.The statement follows a recent announcement by the carmaker that it would be “addressing underperforming markets” and reducing structural costs in Europe as it aimed to improve profitability ...
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FeatureDriving into a Russian road block?
Despite economic uncertainty in Russia, analysts expect new vehicle sales to grow further - putting increasing pressure on the nation’s already depleted fleet of car carriers
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FeatureUS considers lifting sanctions against Gaz
The US is planning to lift sanctions imposed on companies owned or controlled by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska and has once again postponed the introduction of sanctions against the Russian carmaker Gaz Group, in which Deripaska has a controlling interest.The US Treasury department’s office for Foreign Assets Control (FAC) notified ...
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FeatureGM withdraws from JV with Uzbek government
General Motors has sold off its remaining stake in the GM Uzbekistan joint venture to state-owned company Uzavtosanoat, which held the majority stake in the company. GM Uzbekistan makes Ravon and Chevrolet vehicles at its plant in Asaka.Uzavtosanoat held a 75% stake in the company from 2008 but increased that ...
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FeatureProgress for all to CEE
In past decades, international investment has flowed into the automotive industry in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) primarily due to it being a low-cost production centre. However, these days the region has much more to attract such investment, including a well-trained workforce, a wide-ranging supplier base and improving logistics infrastructure, ...
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FeatureRussia keeps logistics subsidy in place
The Russian government will not cancel logistics subsidies for the automotive industry, although all other “targeted subsidies” currently allocated to carmakers and components manufacturers will cease, Russian vice-prime minister Dmitry Kozak, revealed during an industry meeting in Moscow, December 7.Kozak explained that carmakers had asked the federal authorities to keep ...
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FeatureUkraine sanctions risk Russian vehicle exports
The growth in Russian vehicle exports during 2018 could be in jeopardy if a new bill to ban Russian vehicle imports is passed by the government in Ukraine, one of the biggest sales markets for Russian-made cars.According to figures from the Russian Federal Customs Service, in the first nine months ...
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FeatureMercedes-Benz takes to rail to move cars to China
Russia’s railway monopoly RZD has delivered the first batch of finished Mercedes-Benz vehicles from Bremerhaven, in Germany, to Chongqing in China. The new route, which is informally referred to as the new Silk Road, has already proved a viable alternative to ocean shipping vehicles from Europe to China, which takes ...
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FeatureRussia continues to increase finished vehicle imports
Russia imported 212,400 finished vehicles from January to November of 2018, which is an increase of 15.8% compared to the same period of last year, Russian Federal Customs Service (FCS) estimated. The overall value of finished vehicles imports during that period reached $5.2 billion, FCS added.Almost 33% of passenger cars ...
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FeatureRussia increases component exports
Several automotive manufacturers in Russia are increasing component exports in line with plans announced at the beginning of this year.Joint venture Ford Sollers has doubled the number of different part lines it exports to the EU to 100 this year (compared to 50 in late 2017) and said it plans ...
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FeatureGM poised to sell St Petersburg plant
US carmaker GM is close to selling its plant in St Petersburg to another automotive manufacturer, with the final agreement due to be signed at the end of this year. According to Sergey Movchan, deputy governor of St Petersburg, the new owner plans to revive finished vehicle assembly at the ...
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FeatureRussian tax hike to fund higher outbound subsidies
Russia’s deputy prime minister, Dmitry Kozak, has announced plans to raise the utilisation fee on imported vehicles by 30%, to help fund an increase in the subsidies provided to export projects in the automotive sector.Both Russian assembly plants and importers have been subject to the utilisation fee since 2014. The ...
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FeatureRewriting the rules
Russia’s Industry and Trade Ministry wants OEMs to make huge investments in new production capacity in Russia over the coming decade, in order to continue qualifying for state aid. A bill laying down the basis of a new national localisation strategy was published in August that is designed to replace ...
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FeatureGaz could be sold to VW to avoid US sanctions
Volkswagen may purchase a stake in Gaz Group to help the Russian carmaker avoid US sanctions, said Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak, speaking during a press conference in Moscow on October 19. Negotiations have already taken place, but the final decision has not yet been made, Kozak added.The US ...
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FeatureRussian carmakers appeal for a stop to state aid
Leading carmakers in Russia have appealed to the government’s Industry and Trade Ministry to stop providing state aid to companies investing in new vehicle assembly plants in the country.Domestic carmakers including Avtovaz, Gaz and Sollers have been joined by foreign rivals such as Renault-Nissan, Mitsubishi and Daimler in calling for ...