IZHEVSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th December, 2022) � Russia's car manufacturer AvtoVAZ will begin producing three new Lada models at a former car plant of Japan's Nissan in Saint Petersburg after its reopening, the company's head, Maxim Sokolov, said on Tuesday.
Earlier in the month, Sokolov said that manufacturing of Lada cars would begin at the Nissan plant in Saint Petersburg in the second half of 2023.
"It will depend on how many carmakers we will bring to the Nissan plant in Saint Petersburg, but at least three models (will be produced)," Sokolov said.
According to the head of AvtoVAZ, the company is now in active talks with some potential partners on joint manufacturing at the Nissan plant, including Chinese carmakers.
Sokolov also noted that AvtoVAZ plans to produce up to 10,000 Lada cars in 2023 at the plant in Saint Petersburg alone. These models would not be premium class cars, but they were going to be more expensive than the main line of vehicles manufactured by the company, he added.
In late November, Nissan sold all its assets in Russia to a local firm following its announcement of a complete withdrawal from the Russian market in October. The new owner of Nissan assets handed over the management of the plant in Saint Petersburg to AutoVAZ in early December.
