The Russian invasion of Ukraine will soon have serious consequences also on the automotive world, especially for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. If there are several brands that produce within Soviet borders, such as Volkswagen and Mercedes, the group led by Luca de Meo will have to face a decidedly complex situation. The sales figures for 2021 in Russia – the second market after Franci – underline the 38% market share of which 22.4% of AutoVaz with 350 thousand cars registered last year. In addition to the control of AutoVaz, a Russian brand born in the mid-60s, the French group also owns two factories between Moscow and Togliatti as well as the Lada Niva.
L’automotive in Russia
While waiting to discover the moves of the European Union and the United States, in terms of sanctions and limitations at the borders, Renault is working to ensure the supply of all components to the production lines. Similar problems also for Mercedes, especially after the opening in 2019 of the plant with a thousand employees (inaugurated in the presence of President Putin) where the E-Class and the GLE are born. Spontadosi in Kaluga is the Volkswagen plant with 150 thousand cars, starting from the compact Polo up to the maxi SUV Q8. Also in Kaluga is the Stellantis plant, where Fiat, Peugeot, Opel and Citroen are produced in joint venture with Mitsubishi van. Tavares has already canceled production and stated that production will be reallocated. The town of Kaluga is also home to the Continental and Magna plants. Scrolling through the list of manufacturers we find Ford, with the plant where commercial vehicles are assembled in collaboration with Soller. Production of van also Stellantis.