Cadillac has gathered with the "Chinese"
Cadillac Escalade flagship premium all-terrain vehicle assembled next to Chinese Zotye T600 and Z300 Cadillac Escalade flagship premium all-terrain vehicle assembled next to Chinese Zotye T600 and Z300 Related materials
Russian car market at a crossroads. What's next?
The production of passenger cars in Russia has been falling for the fourth year in a row, following the collapsed demand in the car market. As a result, the production capacities created in our country in more than 3 million cars turned out to be excessive - today they are less than 40% loaded. Against this background, some automakers are transferring the assembly of their cars to enterprises in neighboring countries, from where they then deliver them to the Russian market. Logistic costs are largely covered by less stringent requirements for assembly projects by local authorities, as well as cheaper labor.
Belarus was especially successful in this, whose authorities are trying with all their might to attract global automobile concerns to cooperate with domestic enterprises. Perhaps the most notorious was the project of the Unison plant with the American General Motors, which shortly before that closed its plant in Russia, as well as curtailed the assembly at the facilities of Avtotor and GAZ. Nevertheless, GM has launched deliveries to our country of Belarusian-made Opel Mokka crossovers, as well as premium Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs. As you know, sales of Opel cars in Russia were discontinued at the end of last year, but Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Tahoe from a neighboring republic are still being delivered to us.
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Since this year, Unison has also produced Chinese Zotye T600 and Z300 cars, which are also intended mainly for the Russian market. By the way, initially it was planned to establish the production of these models at the Alabuga Motors enterprise in Tatarstan. “There was an attempt to organize the assembly in Russia, our partners let us down,” said Alexander Gnezdyuk, deputy general director of Zoti Motors Rus. And the Belarusian plant, according to him, was chosen, first of all, because the conditions of production and localization in Russia and Belarus are the same, and these countries are in a single space of the Customs Union.
However, Zotye does not abandon the idea of setting up assembly of its cars in Russia. At least this applies to new models that will appear with us in the coming years. So, in 2017 new crossovers - T300 and SR8 should enter the Russian market. “If expansion of production sites is required, then we will primarily consider the Russian project, but not instead of Unison, but as an extension of the lineup,” Alexander Gnezdyuk told Za rulyom. RF.
Geely registered near Minsk
Geely Emgrand X7 Geely Emgrand X7
But another Chinese automaker - Geely - on the contrary, transferred the assembly of all its new models to the Belji plant, actually curtailing production at the Russian Derways. As a result, today all Geely cars are delivered to the Russian market from Belarus, where it is also planned to launch the flagship GC9 sedan and the all-new Emgrand Cross crossover.
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