The Asia Auto company from Kazakhstan has been named a potential buyer, a source at Vedomosti said. Interestingly, this company has a license to produce Volkswagen and Skoda cars. Therefore, in theory, it will be able to continue the production of German cars, but already under its control. According to the publication, Volkswagen should make a final decision on the plans before the end of this year.
Asia Auto will assemble Lada, Kia, Skoda and Chevrolet cars in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan until 2021. However, now the manufacturer is experiencing problems due to non-compliance with production localization requirements.
This raises doubts about the ability to acquire a Russian factory; the publication failed to contact the Asia Auto concern. It is clear that it is important for Volkswagen to maintain a presence in Russia, too much effort and money has been invested in local production, so perhaps this is just one of the legal arrangements.
The VW representative makes no unequivocal comments, only noting that the company is constantly monitoring current events and considering different scenarios, but no decisions have been made.