Russian auto retailers have pressed Renault for compensation amounting to 8.5 billion rubles, citing losses tied to the brand’s withdrawal from the Russian market. The Russian Association of Automobile Dealers, known as ROAD, sent a formal letter to Renault’s chairman Jean-Dominique Senard outlining the demand, as reported by RIA Novosti.
In an account shared by ROAD, a group of Russian Renault dealers presented, on May 2, 2023, a written proposal on behalf of Renault’s leadership to Renault France. The aim was to secure an agreement that would cover 8.5 billion rubles in losses stemming from Renault’s exit from Russia. ROAD’s chief, Alexei Podshchekoldin, described the petition as the culmination of the company’s effort to obtain compensation through negotiation rather than court action.
Podshchekoldin noted that the claim covers several cost components. These include expenses for acquiring or leasing dealership buildings, restructuring costs aligned with Renault standards, training for employees, and outstanding credits. The assertion is that these outlays were incurred to adapt to a framework Renault previously established for its Russian network and operations.
Renault announced its withdrawal from the Russian market in the latter part of May 2022. The company’s local manufacturing facility, historically known as Moskvich, was subsequently sold to the Moscow government for a nominal sum, marking a significant shift in the local automotive landscape.
Back in the second half of April, a governmental agency cited a ROAD vice president, Andrey Petrenko, in reporting that Russian car dealers were preparing a class action to recover 1.5 billion rubles from the Moskvich venture. The report suggested legal avenues could be pursued if negotiations failed to resolve the concerns of the dealer network.