NAMI to hand over former Nissan plant in St. Petersburg to AVTOVAZ with winter completion planned
The state-controlled FSUE NAMI has announced it will transfer the former Nissan production facility in St. Petersburg to AVTOVAZ before the end of winter. This move follows a strategic reshaping of Russia’s automotive landscape in which the plant changes hands as part of broader realignment of assets in the sector. The arrangement signals a continued push toward consolidating domestic manufacturing capabilities and preserving local employment in the automotive industry.
Earlier, Nissan’s Russian assets, including the St. Petersburg plant, were acquired by NAMI late last year. The transaction was completed for a symbolic price and comes with a repurchase option within six years. This structure gives NAMI a controlled exit path while preserving the potential for future strategic considerations regarding the assets and their role in Russia’s automotive supply chain.
Under the terms of the deal, AVTOVAZ assumed responsibility for the brand’s after-sales service network across the Russian Federation and for the ongoing supply of spare parts. This transfer marks a shift in the downstream support framework for Nissan vehicles in Russia, as the ownership of the physical plant changes hands and AVTOVAZ takes charge of customer service continuity and parts availability across the market.
The leadership of AVTOVAZ has previously outlined that the St. Petersburg site is slated to produce Chinese-class C and D vehicles using the SKD method. The strategy focuses on assembling vehicles that align with the current demand and distribution patterns within the region, leveraging SKD to optimize production flexibility and local content integration. Cars produced at the site are expected to carry the Lada brand on the final assembly line, with the possibility of a dual-brand arrangement to maximize market appeal and brand recognition across different buyer segments.
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