1 / 14Many foreign carmakers stopped making cars in Russia after Russia attacked Ukraine. They sold their factories and businesses to the Russian government or other companies. Now, some Russian and Chinese carmakers are using those factories to make their own cars. Here are some examples of what happened to the foreign carmakers’ assets in Russia: (Images: Reuters)
2 / 14RENAULT: Renault was one of the first to leave. The French carmaker sold its big share in Avtovaz, a Russian carmaker, and its Moscow factory to the Russian government for a very low price. Renault can buy back its share in Avtovaz in six years if it wants to.
3 / 14The Moscow factory now makes Moskvich cars, which are old Soviet cars. But some sources say that the Moskvich 3 model is actually a Chinese car called JAC Sehol X4 that is put together in Moscow. According to a Reuters report, Moskvich said it will make more of the car in Russia later.
4 / 14Avtovaz, which is owned by the Russian government, also bought RN Bank, a bank that was owned by Renault and other foreign carmakers.
5 / 14NISSAN: The Russian government bought Nissan’s Russian business for a very low price too. Nissan lost a lot of money because of this. The deal included Nissan’s factory and research centre in St Petersburg and its sales and marketing centre in Moscow.
6 / 14The factory is now owned by Avtovaz and makes Lada cars. But a source says that the Lada cars are actually Chinese cars called FAW Bestune T77 that are put together in St Petersburg. Avtovaz said it plans to make more parts for cars in Russia in 2024.
7 / 14BMW: BMW is a German luxury car brand that was one of the three brands that Avtotor, a Russian carmaker, used to make in its factory in Kaliningrad, a part of Russia near the sea. The factory has stopped making BMW cars and has switched to making Chinese Kaiyi cars.
8 / 14HYUNDAI: Hyundai is a South Korean car brand that was another one of the three brands that Avtotor used to make in its Kaliningrad factory. The factory has also stopped making Hyundai cars and has started making cars for two other Chinese carmakers, BAIC and Shineray.
9 / 14KIA: Kia is another South Korean car brand that was the last one of the three brands that Avtotor used to make in its Kaliningrad factory. The factory has also ceased making Kia cars and has begun making cars with some parts from Russia and China. Avtotor plans to make about 80,000 cars of the three Chinese brands this year and is getting ready for full production in 2024.
10 / 14VOLKSWAGEN: Volkswagen sold its shares in its Russian business to Art-Finance, a company that works with Avilon, a car dealer group. The deal was worth 125 million euros. VW’s former factory in Kaluga is now called AGR Automotive by its new owner.
11 / 14Avilon is talking to Chery, a big Chinese carmaker, about working together. Chery and AGR Automotive did not say anything about this. A Russian official said that VW cannot buy back its shares.
12 / 14MERCEDES-BENZ: Mercedes-Benz sold its shares in its Russian businesses to Avtodom, a car dealer chain. This included its factory in the Moscow region. It can buy back its shares in six years, but it said it does not want to do that. Avtodom told it is in talks with several partners about assembling premium Chinese cars there.
13 / 14TOYOTA: Japan's Toyota transferred its vehicle production plant in St Petersburg to NAMI in March. It is not yet clear which cars will be produced there, but a state-owned manufacturer may produce electric cars there, Russia's Industry and Trade Ministry has said. Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said in June that Toyota has no buyback option.
14 / 14FORD: Russian automaker Sollers in November said it was producing its Atlant and Argo light commercial vehicles (LCVs) at a factory in the Tatarstan region, where Ford Transit vans were previously produced. The plant has the capacity to produce 85,000 vehicles annually. China's JAC Sunray model is being used in production.
