As you know, at the moment in Russia there are two joint Russian-German production, which was launched by the powerful concern Daimler AG. This is a project with Nizhny Novgorod GAZ, which gives Sprinter'y sample 2001, as well as cooperation with KamAZ, giving the country several types of commercial trucks and buses. This is all that is produced by the famous Mercedes within our vast Motherland. However, the Germans' plans for the conquest of the territory of the Russian Federation do not obviously end there.
For about two years now, rumors have been circulating in the press that the German conglomerate plans to launch a sufficiently powerful enterprise in our country to produce its famous passenger cars. As a basis for this, ZIL and KamAZ sites were called. There was also information about intentions to create production capacity in the St. Petersburg region, but the Germans were not able to negotiate with the government of the Leningrad region. In a word, a movement in this direction took place, but the cart seems to be there now.
Will Mercedes build a plant in Russia?
Yes, it seems. In the summer of 2016, data appeared on the creation of a joint factory for the production of Mercedes cars in the Moscow region. This momentous event will be discussed in this short article. But first things first.
The confidence that this will finally happen is confirmed by information received in the media from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which stated through the mouth of the deputy director of the relevant department Vsevolod Babushkin that the ministry approved the project at the preliminary stage. And it seems like the next word for the leadership of the Moscow region, on which the further movement of this initiative now depends. It is hoped that the project will not die, grind by a bureaucratic machine, as happened several years earlier in the Leningrad region.
Infrastructure
Esipovo Industrial Park, on the territory of which it is planned to deploy future production, is the territory that is still under construction. It is located in the direction of M10, 32 km from the Moscow Ring Road near the city of Solnechnogorsk. It is at the design stage, and an acceptable level of infrastructure preparation here will be achieved only by 2019. So there is enough time for appropriate coordination and subsequent deployment.
In order for the reader to orientate a little in terminology, a definition should be given. The Esipovo Industrial Park, like other facilities under construction or under construction in the Moscow Region, is a specially organized area where all the necessary infrastructure for large-scale industrial production will be located. In particular, for the aforementioned park, it is planned to create a volume of electricity supply in the amount of 50 MW by 2017. As well as gas supply, the creation of its own water intake and associated treatment facilities.
Cooperation with GAZ
Mercedes own factory in Russia is a long-standing aspiration of Daimler. Of the existing facilities, it should be noted joint production in Nizhny Novgorod. Here, successful cooperation resulted in an established production line of a Sprinter small commercial vehicle.
In addition, 2.2-liter Mercedes Benz diesel is produced at Russian facilities . The plant in Yaroslavl is engaged in the production of this engine specifically for GAZ.
KamAZ
Another successful company producing German commercial vehicles in the Russian Federation is PJSC KamAZ. It all began with the production of cabins for the Chelny truck, produced since 1976. Although they evoked popular love, at the moment they are clearly behind the standards dictated by time. So, KAMAZ moved to the cab, manufactured for the Actros model. Now this Mercedes plant in Russia produces more than 30 different modifications of trucks and buses at the production facilities of the auto giant from Naberezhnye Chelny.
Localization of world auto giants
This is general information about existing Mercedes projects that are functioning normally, but all this is the production of commercial vehicles. But what about the famous business and executive cars, crossovers and many other types of bodies that are only exported to Russia so far? As you know, almost all world brands have already built their localization in our country.
Among them are Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, Mazda, Kia, Ford and some others. All of them, one way or another, invested quite serious amounts in setting up automobile production in the Russian Federation. Here you can find both a "screwdriver" assembly and more advanced options with stamping, welding and painting.
Daimler AG Project
Not yet reported on the volume of investment in the Mercedes plant in the suburbs. But it is precisely on the basis of at least an approximate amount of investments that it will be possible to talk about what level of localization is planned by Daimler AG. For example, if the volume of investments is about $ 10 million, then we are talking about a banal “screwdriver” assembly, which will mean a very small decrease in the final cost of the Russian Mercedes compared to the import version. But if the amount is close to a billion, it means a serious line with stamping parts, welding, etc.
For example, in 2014, BMW planned to invest about one and a half billion euros in the creation of a plant in Kaliningrad. And then it was a question of deep localization and production volume of up to 80 thousand cars a year. Another conversation is that nothing happened. The crisis of the Russian automobile market did not allow the project to go further than negotiations between the leaders of the German concern and the Avtotor Kaliningrad plant, which, by the way, now produces BMWs of "Russian" production.
Modern realities
The Mercedes plant in Russia, which is so much noise right now, is planned against the backdrop of a serious recession in the automobile market of our country. Since 2013, when he was just starting his downward movement, sales fell by almost half. To the credit of Mercedes, their position against the background of other automotive giants fell much less. And if we take the share of sales in the total flow, then it even increased from 1.2% of the total market in 2012 to 3% in 2015. In 2016, this figure fell slightly to 2.6%. That is, sales of the concern are falling at a not so serious pace as the rest.
In addition, if, nevertheless, the Mercedes plant in Russia begins to produce the planned volumes, which, by the way, will approximately amount to 25 thousand cars a year, as representatives of Daimler say, there is a possibility of a serious increase in the share of public procurement. Since Russian officials can only order cars manufactured in our country, most likely, a large demand for the brand will make it possible to raise the overall sales volume quite well due to this sales market.
Conclusion
In fact, the ordeal of Daimler in creating its own production of cars in Russia, as it seems, should find a worthy logical conclusion. Moreover, the great work carried out by the concern in previous years clearly gave them vast experience on how to behave with Russian officials and their specific legislation.
The Mercedes plant in Russia, where the real production of their cars is located, that is, a hybrid of KamAZ and Daimler, shows that cooperation is possible. Now it remains to hope that the Moscow Region authorities will be able to coordinate all the subtleties that are enough. For example, there is information that the Esipovo industrial park, on the territory of which, we recall, is planning to create this production unit, has problems with local environmental structures, which, by the way, are opposed to deforestation, where the future plant will be located.
Be that as it may, the Moscow Region is interested in the appearance of such a project on its territory. We will expect a positive decision and the subsequent start of production of modern Mercedes-Benz passenger cars of Russian production.