Tag Archives: Investment

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Russia invests over $900 million in the automotive industry

In February 2022, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, which caused a reaction from the international community and the introduction of sanctions that forced many manufacturers to stop production in Russia. The sanctions were expected to bring the Russian economy to its knees, which happened at first, but recent information suggests that the Russians have found a solution for their automotive industry. The Russian government intends to invest up to $ 900 million in the development of a platform for their new car over the next three years.

Most of the funds come from the Russian parliament, and the project is led by NAMI (automotive institute). NAMI owns the premium brand Aurus Motors, which produces limousines for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“By designing such a modular platform, we are laying the foundation for the development of our automobile production. It will be used for cars of various classes, from compact to business. NAMI will play a leading role in this project, and the main task is to unify the component base for this platform. The new platform will also be used for the serial production of hybrid and especially electric vehicles in the future,” said Alexey Matushansky, Director of the Department for Strategic Development and Corporate Policy at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The batteries for the car will be produced by Rosatom (the Russian state atomic energy company), and the construction of two battery production plants is underway.

The Russians have previously tried to restore the production of European-brand cars, but illegally. In early 2024, information appeared that the Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng Motor Group, Stellantis’ partner in China, supplied parts to the Russian company Automotive Technologies, which began assembling the Citroen C5 Aircross. This was not the first time that Chinese companies violated agreements with other manufacturers, and this time the reason could be the agreement that Stellantis reached with another Chinese company (Leapmotor).

Customs records did not show that Stellantis knew about the imports, but evidence obtained by other companies shows a lack of control over their brands in Russia after leaving the country.

Source: Reuters

News

Leapmotor suspends investments in Poland

Carlos Tavares was looking forward to a very successful future when a few months ago it was confirmed that the first electric cars from the Chinese manufacturer Leapmotor would leave the factory in Tychy. However, before it even started, everything fell apart because Leapmotor decided to stop investing in the factory in Poland.

It’s a project that Leapmotor was supposed to launch with one of the world’s largest automotive conglomerates, Stellantis, but at the end of last month, the Chinese government called on its manufacturers to immediately stop investing in Europe in response to the imposition of tariffs on their products.

Not all EU members were in favor of introducing additional tariffs on Chinese products, such as Germany, Hungary, Malta, Slovenia or Slovakia, but 10 of them stood by the decision that the new tariffs will protect the European market. One of them is Poland, so China started to take revenge.

In the factory in Tychy, semi-finished products are assembled, and the Chinese company has informed the Polish Trade and Investment Agency that, according to the order of the Chinese Ministry of Economy, it is suspending investments in Poland.

The only model that Leapmotor will produce in Poland for now is the T03, and the first cars will leave the production lines in the coming weeks.

Source: Reuters

News

Nissan will launch 30 new models by 2026

Two weeks ago Nissan revealed the new generation of 2+2 sports car, the Nissan GT-R (model code: R35). This is the last edition of this model, which arrived on the market 17 years ago. Now, as part of “The Arc” business plan, Nissan will launch 30 new models over the next two years.

Nissan’s goal is to sell one million cars a year, and that should be helped by 30 new cars, 14 of which will be powered by a gasoline engine. Also, the intention is to reduce the production costs of next-generation electric vehicles by more than 25 percent, in order to cope with the increasing pressure of cars coming from the neighboring country (China).

The new generation will consist of an electric crossover as the successor to the Leaf model, the next-gen Micra based on the R5 platform, the all-electric Juke and the recently introduced Kicks. Also, the arrival of several SUVs, minivans, mid-sized pickups, as well as a number of Infiniti models is expected. It is realistic to expect a new generation of the Patrol model as a rival to the Land Cruiser, a renewed Qashqai for the European market, the upcoming minivan Elgrand for the Japanese market and a new version of the Skyline.

Also, Nissan plans to increase its investment in electric cars by 70% in the coming years, which will cover the entire range of segments with 34 new cars. As a result, 40 percent of Nissan’s fleet will be electric by 2026 and 60 percent by 2030.

Nissan will develop the electric vehicles in groups using modular manufacturing techniques and shorter development cycles with the aim of reducing costs by 30 percent compared to the current model, the Nissan Ariya.

Source: Nissan

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Nissan will launch 30 new models by 2026