The Renault-Moskvich Revival Plan for Moscow
The French company decided to wind down its operations, leaving thousands without work. In Moscow alone nearly four thousand people faced uncertainty, while tens of thousands more in other regions of Russia were tied to supplying components for the capital’s factory network. This was recalled by Maxim Liksutov, Moscow Deputy Mayor for Transport and Road Infrastructure Development, in an interview with Moscow 24 TV. With the sudden pause in production, the city aimed to safeguard the workforce and preserve the project that could shape Moscow’s automotive future.
In response, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin acted quickly to ensure the venture would endure and that the entire workforce would retain employment. The city started plotting how to keep the project alive while maintaining social stability for the workers who had invested years in the factory ecosystem.
Maxim Liksutov outlined the plan for the former Renault facility, noting that many professional engineers and designers remained on site and that most lived in Moscow.
He stated that the mayor envisions turning the site into a city-driven enterprise. The plan keeps the plant in its current location while restoring its historic identity as Moskvich. The goals include employing all workers, addressing prior wage arrears, and by the end of the year initiating production of a new car. This vehicle would be developed through a collaboration with KAMAZ and the NAMI Institute, with a local supply chain assembled to meet the project needs.
At the initial stage, assembly would take place locally with a view to later localizing production of all components as much as possible. The long-term vision includes producing electric vehicles that fit into Moscow’s urban mobility strategy.
The Moskvich plant could serve taxi fleets and carsharing services. In the Moscow region alone, the taxi and carsharing market requires a substantial influx of new cars each year. If production begins within Moscow, the plant would receive a steady flow of orders from the city’s mobility market.
Currently, a working group has been formed with taxi aggregators to determine the technical specifications for a taxi-ready and carsharing-ready Moskvich. The instruction has been given to leverage the scientific capabilities of other metropolitan enterprises to support the project.
Collage “Behind the wheel”