Mass production began at the capital’s automobile plant Moskvich. The first car to roll off the assembly line was the Moskvich 3 crossover.
The launch ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. The minister talked about plans for electric vehicle production and the factory’s transition to technological independence.
“In 2022, the SKD assembly of Moskvich 3 cars and electric vehicles will be launched. The task for the near future is to create small node assembly processes with the participation of local suppliers by the end of 2023. The next step will be to create our own universal platform for the domestic electric vehicle, which is planned to start production at the end of 2025.”
– said Manturov, whose words were reported by the press service of the ministry.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade promised that sales of the crossover in the Moskvich dealer network will begin in March 2023. Manturov said that in the future it is planned to include brand cars in state demand support programs. He did not specify the estimated cost of the new Muscovites.
“By 2025, there are clear plans agreed to increase the level of technological independence, i.e. localization with access to sourcing, painting and full technological independence by 2027,” Manturov said.
“Moskvich 3” is a converted version of the Chinese crossover JAC JS4, its cost in the basic configuration is estimated at 1,999,000 rubles. The electric Moskvich 3e is a copy of the JAC iEVs4 electric car, its cost is approximately the same.
The “Moskvich 3” is equipped with a gasoline turbo engine, a CVT automatic transmission or a six-speed manual transmission. This is a compact front-wheel drive crossover with a length of 4410 mm, a width of 1800 mm and a height of 1660 mm. The wheelbase is 2620 mm, the weight is 1440 kg. The electric version of the “e3” will get a 68 hp electric motor and a 55 kWh battery. and 410 km of power reserve.
“Cars need to become more affordable”
So far, the cost of Moskvich has not been disclosed, and it is necessary to rely on China’s original JAC, but on November 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Manturov to monitor the cost of cars and prevent unreasonable price increases.
“I draw your attention to the need for constant control over pricing so that no one abuses the silence of these challenges that we all know, including logistics. <…> does not increase the price of automotive equipment”,
– Putin said at a meeting with members of the government.
“Everyone understands where these prices are coming from,” he added, but added that unreasonable price increases, including for auto parts, must be tackled. In general, Putin said that it is necessary to make cars more accessible to Russians. “When organizing work in the field of automotive production, it is necessary to ensure that in today’s conditions the cars become much more suitable for Russian families,” he stressed.
In turn, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade suggested to the president to expand the preferential car loan program to military personnel – the president supported the initiative. Manturov noted that the situation in the automotive industry has stabilized and the production line is gaining momentum.
Big exit of automobile brands
The French concern, after the start of the special operation of the RF Armed Forces in Ukraine, stopped the assembly of cars at its Moscow plant, after which it completely abandoned the business in Russia and got rid of assets. Within the scope of the agreement, 100% of Renault Russia’s shares belonging to Renault were transferred to the city authorities. 67.69% of AvtoVAZ shares owned by Renault were given to FSUE NAMI. The remaining shares were transferred to the state company Rostec. This transaction represents a repurchase opportunity, but the capital business was sold without a right of return.
After the start of CBO in Ukraine, the world’s biggest brands announced that they are ready to leave the Russian market. In addition to Renault, Ford, Isuzu, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyoya, which left the Russian Federation from May to October, some of the capacities were sold to Russian business or authorities. Some are ready for sale.
Petersburg XXMR, Toyota and Nissan suspended production of Hyundai Solaris, Creta, Kia Rio, Toyota Camry and Rav4, as well as Nissan Qashqai, X-Trail, Murano. Volkswagen and PSMA RUS Kaluga factories suspended the production of VW Tiguan and Polo models, as well as Skoda Rapid and Peugeot, Citroen, Opel, Fiat and Mitsubishi brands. The Moscow Mercedes-Benz plant was sold. In addition, throughout Russia, 16 large enterprises producing automotive components and auto equipment, including engines, are currently idle.
According to the Association of European Enterprises, the best-selling model in Russia in 2021 was the LADA Vesta, with 113,698 cars sold. Second place – LADA Granta – 111,430 cars. Third result Kia Rio – 82,941 cars sold (-6%) according to European Enterprises Association data. The leader among crossovers – Hyundai Creta – 68081 copies. Then came the Hyundai Solaris sedan, with 61,061 cars sold.