Kaluga car plants will start operating in test mode in December

Auto assembly plants in the Kaluga region will be launched in test mode in December. This was announced by Deputy Governor Vladimir Popov, transmits Interfax. Serial production may begin in 2024.

“We predict that the automotive industry plans to resume operations in the medium term. Currently, I would like to note that out of 30 companies in the auto cluster, eight companies are idle. Moreover, almost all of them have the prospect of renewal and restart,” Popov said.

Previously, Volkswagen car factories operated in the Kaluga region, Volvo and PSMA Rus (a joint venture between Stellantis and Mitsubishi). Since 2022, automakers have been idle. According to the deputy governor’s forecasts, after the restart of enterprises, the share of the automobile industry in the region’s total industrial production could be about 7% by the end of next year.

October 26th became knownthat the new owner of the Volvo plant in Kaluga will be Industrial Investments, which is associated with the ex-owner of the Ural automobile plant Dmitry Strezhnev. The group was created in May of this year with an authorized capital of 200,000 rubles.

It is possible that the former Volkswagen plant in the Kaluga region will begin assembly cars from the Chinese brand Chery. The enterprise’s capacity was up to 225,000 cars per year. Before the shutdown, which has lasted since March 2022, the plant produced Volkswagen Polo and Skoda Rapid cars, and the Volkswagen Tiguan crossover. The German company sold it and other Russian assets to the structure of the car dealer holding company “Avilon» in May 2023. The fact that the former Volkswagen plant in the Kaluga region will resume production before the end of this year earlier reported Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov.