Over the next three years, FSUE NAMI, the institute under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, is set to receive a substantial package of state subsidies aimed at developing a domestic modular platform for automobile production. The total funding of 87.8 billion rubles represents a strategic investment intended to accelerate localization of vehicle manufacturing and to create a flexible architecture that can underlie multiple vehicle classes. The amendment to the draft budget, approved by the State Duma Budget and Tax Committee in its session, outlines the funding, with 25.6 billion rubles allocated for 2025 and 2026 respectively, and 36.6 billion rubles earmarked for 2027. The money would be drawn from the budget reserve and directed to activities that fall within national projects, specifically within the national project Industrial Support of Transport Mobility and the state program Development of Industry and Increasing Competitiveness. The aim is to align public financing with the broader objective of boosting domestic production, reducing dependence on imported platforms, and strengthening the competitiveness of Russia’s automotive sector on regional and global markets. In practical terms, the plan envisions a single modular platform that can support a range of vehicles—from small city cars to mid-size passenger models and even light commercial vehicles—built on a shared architecture designed to simplify sourcing, increase production scale, and decrease the per-unit cost of components. This approach is intended to deliver long-term efficiency through standardization, pooling of suppliers, and faster time to market for new models, all while maintaining rigorous safety and quality standards across the enterprise.
Leading the effort is the Ministry’s internal strategic development office and the team at FSUE NAMI, which officials describe as taking a central role in coordinating research, development, and the integration of domestic components. The plan envisions a single modular platform that will serve compact, mid-size, and commercial classes, enabling automakers to share common subsystems, calibrations, and software, while still preserving model differentiation. The arrangement is designed to leverage Russia’s existing engineering talent, universities, and a network of domestic suppliers to create a locally owned, scalable architecture that can evolve with advancing technologies such as electric propulsion, advanced driver assistance, and digital vehicle management. By concentrating design, testing, and certification activities under a unified platform, the program aims to streamline homologation, reduce lead times, and improve the resilience of the auto industry against external shocks. The long-term expectation is not just one platform but an ecosystem of interoperable modules and plug-ins that can be swapped to meet changing demand, create new business models for car makers, and sustain research and manufacturing jobs across multiple regions. In addition, the initiative is framed as a catalyst for broader industrial modernization, encouraging partnerships among research institutions, component manufacturers, and system integrators across the country, with the potential to attract investment and spur the growth of local high-tech clusters centered on mobility and robotics.
Public discourse around the policy has touched on pricing dynamics as a key issue. Observers note that when a substantial subsidy supports vehicle platforms, the effect on consumer prices is not automatic; margins, procurement costs, and the structure of incentives all shape final sticker prices. The factors at play include the cost of local materials and components, the productivity of domestic suppliers, exchange rate movements, and the scale of production that the new platform enables. There is also the question of how government subsidies are reflected in dealer pricing, financing terms, and warranty packages, as well as how such incentives interact with existing import substitution programs. While the goal of the subsidy package is to bolster domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign platforms, the impact on end-user prices will depend on how the industry translates the grant into lower production costs or faster time to market for new models. The overall thrust remains clear: to accelerate industrial modernization, build a resilient automotive supply chain, and improve Russia’s standing in global mobility markets, even as the market adapts to evolving global trade conditions.