The former Volvo plant in Kaluga, now owned by "Industrial Investments", is starting production of Ural NEXT all-wheel drive three-axle trucks.
The plant will be officially launched tomorrow, December 14. However, according to the press service of the regional government, the company has already started temporary assembly of vehicles. The first 50 trucks will roll off the assembly line by the end of 2023. The production will provide jobs for 650 people.
It is also known that the plant will operate in one shift until mid-2026 and produce up to 2,000 vehicles per year. These will be Ural 6x4s and vehicles on various Chinese platforms. By 2027, the plant will operate in two shifts and produce 10,000 vehicles per year.
A similar fate awaits other plants of foreign automotive giants that have left Russia. In October, the Governor of the Kaluga Region, Vladislav Shapsha, assured that the plants previously managed by Volkswagen, Peugeot, Citroen and Volvo will resume operations. According to him, a direction of development has already been determined for all enterprises.
As for Volvo itself, the company has abandoned the Russian market to such an extent that it has closed access to the company's services for Russian customers, including the Volvo Cars app. They will be denied service, even if they come to a service center in another country for service.