Test assembly of Chery started at Volkswagen plant in Kaluga

Volkswagen's Kaluga plant has begun test assembly of Chery crossovers, with an initial focus on the Chery Tiggo 7 PRO Max model.

At the moment, negotiations are still ongoing regarding the long-term plan of the plant.

The Russian company AGR, which recently became the owner of the plant, has not yet officially announced the specific models that will be produced. Nevertheless, already in May this year it was reported that the plant plans to produce Chery models. According to the Telegram channel "Autopotok", the plant in Kaluga will launch a limited edition Chery Tiggo 7 PRO Max by the method of large-unit assembly, under the supervision of specialists from China. However, the final agreement on cooperation with Chery has not been approved yet.

Leonid Khazanov, an industrial expert, believes that the AGR plant is likely to focus on the production of Chinese cars. This is due to the growing interest of Chinese automakers in the Russian market, especially after the withdrawal of European and American brands from it. The plant's range of models is expected to expand, including at the expense of South Korean brands, which are also interested in the Russian market.

According to Avtostat, Chery sales in Russia for the first ten months of 2023 increased 3, 6 times, reaching 94,284 cars, which allowed the brand to remain the leader among foreign manufacturers in Russia. Chery's market share doubled from 5% to 11, 4%.

It is also reported that Hyundai's St. Petersburg plant will reopen in 2024 with production of cars under the Chinese GAC brand. AGR, which owns the Volkswagen plant in Kaluga, plans to acquire the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Rus plant.