The St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly plans to switch its official sedans to AvtoVAZ vehicles once the manufacturer launches production in the city in 2024. This plan was reported by RIA Novosti, citing statements from the head of the city parliament, Alexander Belsky.
Belsky noted that there is active discussion around Vladimir Putin’s suggestion to move Russian officials to domestic cars. He confirmed that the deputies back this trend and added that the assembly expects to transition to a sedan produced by the Lada plant in St. Petersburg. The deputy leadership expects the first units to roll off the line at the local factory early in the coming year.
The proposal aligns with the presidents call for government officials to use domestic vehicles. On August 3, President Vladimir Putin urged ministries and agencies to prioritize cars produced in Russia as part of a broader effort to strengthen the domestic automotive sector.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin had spoken in July about a move to domestic cars for lawmakers. He suggested that deputies should choose vehicles such as Moskvich, Lada, and Aurus as official cars. He stressed that Russia cannot build a robust car industry if officials rely on foreign models from adversarial countries.
Earlier reports indicated that AvtoVAZ has prepared a plan to shift the production of the Lada Largus model to Izhevsk, reflecting ongoing realignment in the national automotive landscape. These developments illustrate a broader push to expand domestic manufacturing and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers in government fleets, a trend that has gained momentum in recent years and continues to shape procurement decisions across ministries and regional authorities.