Production of the Chinese Jaecoo J7 crossover, manufactured by Chery, will begin at the former General Motors plant in Shushary near St. Petersburg.
The plant, built in 2008, has been idle for a long time: after the closure of GM in 2015, the site was transferred to Hyundai in 2020, but production never resumed. Now the owner is Art-Finance, associated with the AGR holding (Avilon).
Currently, imported Jaecoo J7s with a 1.6 engine (turbo), 7-speed robotic drive, front or all-wheel drive are sold in Russia. The car is 4.5 meters long, making it an analogue of the previous generation Volkswagen Tiguan. The price ranges from 2.96 to 4.0 million rubles. Localization of production may slow down price increases, but no significant price reduction is expected.
Chery is already actively developing local production, including cooperation with AvtoVAZ and assembly of Exeed models in the Moscow region.
Read more on the topic:
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Chery Launches Car Production at Former Volkswagen, Nissan and Mercedes Plants in Russia