Russia's new Volga limousines are replicas of Chinese models.
The Russian government aims to create an autonomous automotive industry that doesn't rely on Western manufacturers. Rebooting the historical Soviet brand, Volga, presents a dilemma: the vehicles are only Chinese models assembled in Russia.
Russia has reintroduced the Soviet car brand Volga and unveiled three new models during a marketplace exhibition. Russian news outlets claim that 60 billion roubles (approximately 600 million euros) will be allocated to the mass production process, starting this year.
As reported, the cars will be produced at the renowned car manufacturer Gaz in Nizhny Novgorod. However, they are said to be manufactured by the obscure company PLA, whose registration in the company ranks just dates a few days back.
A viral video from the presentation showcased the head of the state, Mikhail Mishustin, expressing dissatisfaction with the Chinese-made steering wheel. "I want the steering wheel to be Russian. It's not as challenging as assembling the transmission and other components locally," he declared. Nevertheless, the new Volgas are simply the assembly of cars from the Chinese carmaker Changan. The front bumper and grille are the only features of Russia's own design.
Struggle to establish in-house manufacturing
Since the Russian government ordered the conflict with Ukraine, the West imposed sanctions against Russia. As a result, almost all Western automakers have ceased production in the country. The Gaz factory in Nizhny Novgorod, for instance, used to produce Volkswagen and Skoda vehicles until the onset of hostilities. Efforts to compensate for the loss of Western cars with domestic production have fallen short.
Last year, the revived Soviet Moskvich brand, highlighted in state media, turned out to be a replica of the Chinese JAC JS4 compact model. Overall, automotive production has significantly dwindled since the start of the war. While approximately 1.5 million cars were churned out in Russia in 2021, only 720,000 vehicles were fabricated last year.
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In an attempt to bolster its own car industry, Russia is planning to increase domestic production of the Volga brand, which are currently just Chinese models assembled in Russia. Despite the Russian government's push for an autonomous automotive industry, the car industry in Russia has been struggling since the conflict with Ukraine led to Western sanctions and a decrease in domestic car production.
Source: www.ntv.de
