Toyota will be loaded with tractors – Newspaper Kommersant No. 66 (7511) dated 04/17/2023

At the former Toyota plant in St. Petersburg, production of a new Almaz-Antey truck may begin as early as 2024. The tractor shown by the Ministry of Industry and Trade was assembled by the Bryansk Automobile Plant, but the defense enterprise is considering the production of 2 thousand such vehicles per year at the “more modern Toyota site.” The latter is not intended for the production of trucks, but Kommersant’s sources say that such volumes can be collected “in manual mode.” According to experts, the choice is due to the need for temporary loading of the plant in St. Petersburg, which has gone to the state, as well as the high employment of capacities in Bryansk.

Almaz-Antey is considering the possibility of producing a new truck based on the former Toyota plant in St. Petersburg. Tractor BAZ-S36A11, assembled by the Bryansk Automobile Plant, was presented by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on April 14. According to the deputy head of Almaz-Antey, the general director of Obukhov Plant JSC Mikhail Podvyaznikov, the car can be certified within a year. “In principle, we can assemble such cars at the Toyota site, because it is more modern. We are just following this scenario, we will give jobs and load the production that Toyota currently has, ”he explained (quoted from “RIA News”). The Ministry of Industry and Trade noted that the new “BAZ” will replace the foreign large off-road vehicles that have left the Russian market.

Bryansk Automobile Plant “Almaz-Anteya” produces special wheeled chassis and tractors with high cross-country ability. The plant’s products are mainly used in weapons systems, including air defense systems developed by Almaz-Antey.

Toyota plant at the end of March moved Federal State Unitary Enterprise NAMI, subordinated to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. According to a similar scheme, NAMI has already received production sites, then transferring them to a Russian investor – for example, the former Nissan plant ended up with AvtoVAZ.

The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov, said that the production of another Almaz-Antey project, the e-Neva electric crossover, was being developed at the Toyota plant from 2026.

However, Kommersant’s interlocutors and experts noted that the planning horizon is too long and the plant will need to be loaded with something else in the coming years, otherwise the site will be idle.

Mr. Podvyaznikov said that the preliminary plan for the production of a tractor is “at least two thousand cars a year.” “We expect that by mid-2024 we will certify the tractor and start producing it,” he concluded.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that the transfer of the Toyota plant involves the transfer of rights to equipment. However, the former Toyota plant produced cars, its conveyor is not intended for the assembly of trucks, Kommersant’s sources indicate. At the same time, one of them really heard about the option of producing tractors at this site, but he notes that it was more about an idea than about well-developed plans.

Nevertheless, Kommersant’s interlocutors call the production of 2,000 vehicles declared by Almaz-Antey a year realistic. However, notes one of them, production lines are not needed for this – “such a volume can be collected anywhere in manual mode.”

Dmitry Babansky from SBS Consulting calls realistic plans to assemble 2,000 cars a year in manual mode. However, such a volume of production may adversely affect the economics of the project and the competitiveness of products, he notes. The choice of a plant in St. Petersburg for a new project, according to the analyst, may be due to the high workload of other sites.

Olga Nikitina