Hyundai’s St. Petersburg Facility Resumes Operations By Focusing on Body Production for Export
The Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Rus (HMMR) facility, after an extended period of downtime, has restarted operations. This revival takes a strategic turn: instead of producing complete vehicles for the domestic market, the plant now fabricates Hyundai Solaris bodies destined for export to Kazakhstan, where the finishing steps occur at an assembly site in Alma-Ata to yield fully built cars for sale. This shift underscores a broader regional supply chain strategy that prioritizes efficient, localized assembly while leveraging the plant’s established capabilities in body stamping and exterior panels. The move aligns with the growing demand for Hyundai models across neighboring markets and showcases how production resources can be reallocated to maximize throughput and regional market fit.
Industry insiders indicate plans to expand the output line to include bodies for the Hyundai Creta at the same facility in the future, signaling a potential broadening of the export-oriented role. This planned diversification would position HMMR as a key supplier within Hyundai’s Eurasian network, supporting downstream assembly partners and contributing to faster time-to-market for popular crossover models in adjacent markets. The transition reflects a flexible manufacturing mindset, enabling the plant to adapt to shifting demand patterns while maintaining strong productivity and quality standards across its operations.
An industrial complex in St. Petersburg reported that in 2021 it produced 234,000 vehicles combining Hyundai Solaris, Hyundai Creta, and Kia Rio models. The Kia Rio has long stood among the best-selling vehicles in the Russian market, maintaining a steady presence atop the sales charts due to its balance of price, reliability, and features. The production milestone highlights the region’s capacity to sustain high-volume output across multiple brands and models, illustrating the role of efficient manufacturing, supply chain coordination, and regional demand in shaping a vibrant automotive ecosystem that serves both domestic retailers and neighboring markets.
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Source: Vedomosti