City officials in Moscow, together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and KAMAZ, are actively negotiating with Chinese automakers over reviving production at the Moskvich plant, the site once associated with Renault that has stood idle for some time. The market sources cited by Izvestia reveal that several big names from China are in the running as potential partners for this ambitious restart project.
Leading contenders under consideration include JAC Motors, FAW, and BYD, with other Chinese manufacturers also weighing their options. The discussions focus on leveraging one of the Chinese platforms to underpin a new model that would bear the Moskvich badge, reviving the brand identity that once carried considerable consumer recognition in Russia.
Currently, the plan envisions dismantling the Duster line at the Moskvich site and transferring it to Togliatti, where the model would be assembled under the Lada brand. The Moscow government is expected to assume full control of the factory in the near term, with a buy-back option limited to the facilities in Togliatti rather than the Moscow plant itself. This move signals a broader shift in strategic ownership and production responsibility for the region.
Negotiations with Chinese partners are targeted to wrap up within roughly two weeks, contingent on the terms offered, the financial incentives, and the logistics capabilities for supplying components. It is understood that only semi-knocked-down SKD assembly will be available at the initial stage, which will influence both costs and production timelines as the project gets underway.
If the parties fail to reach an agreement, KAMAZ could assume responsibility for car production. However, the company presently lacks its own certified models in the passenger segment, which means any transition would entail additional development time and regulatory hurdles for bringing new designs to market.
Further details about the Moskvich production concept are expected to be presented soon by the Moscow government in collaboration with KAMAZ, outlining the strategic vision for the brand’s comeback and the broader implications for the regional automotive ecosystem. In the meantime, Denis Manturov, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, acknowledged ongoing talks with several Chinese manufacturers. He indicated that discussions were taking place with multiple partners simultaneously but did not specify the names of the participants, noting only that conversations were indeed active.
A photo credit is noted from Depositphotos.