The assets of Nissan Manufacturing Rus, which represents the Japanese brand Nissan in Russia, will be transferred to state ownership. This was announced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation on October 11. The information has already been confirmed in the Russian representative office of the brand. It is reported that the assets are being transferred to the FSUE NAMI, subordinate to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. We are talking about a factory in St. Petersburg (production and research cluster) and a sales center in Moscow.
As a result of the negotiations, it was possible to achieve a format in which the enterprise remains operational: key competencies, the production cycle and jobs are preserved – and this is about 2000 employees of the enterprise. NAMI has the ability to attract other companies as production partners, to create joint ventures. AVTOVAZ will carry out after-sales service for Nissan vehicles and provide spare parts,” said Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
In addition to Qashqai (pictured), the St. Petersburg plant produced X-Trail and Murano models
According to a press release from the Japanese company, the sold company will operate under a new name. It is also noted that after the change of ownership, all employees of the company receive guarantees of the protection of their rights for a period of 1 year. The terms of the sale are similar to those formed when Renault left: Nissan has the right to buy back the company and its operations within the next six years.
On behalf of Nissan, I would like to thank our Russian colleagues for the contributions they have made to the company over the years. We cannot continue to operate in the market, but we have found the best solution to support our people,” said Makoto Uchida, Nissan President and CEO.
Nissan notes that the company’s one-time losses related to its exit are estimated at around 100 billion yen. At the current exchange rate, this is about 43 billion rubles. The Nissan plant in St. Petersburg closed down in March and in mid-September the downtime was extended until the end of the year.
- Also in St. Petersburg is a discontinued Toyota plant – it is likely to move to Kazakhstan.
- “Behind the Wheel” can be seen on RuTube.