President Vladimir Putin and high-ranking Russian government officials attended the inauguration of the Moscovia factory – the first Mercedes factory in Russia. The project has a total investment of 281 million USD.
Daimler has officially opened the first Mercedes-Benz factory in Russia, marking the expansion of the German car group’s operations in this country. Located about 40 kilometers northwest of Moscow, the Moscovia plant has a total investment of 250 million euros ($281 million) and will create more than 1,000 jobs.
Attending the inauguration ceremony of the Mercedes-Benz factory were some high-ranking officials of Russia and Germany, as well as representatives of Mercedes-Benz. Especially the appearance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by him were Russian Trade Minister Denis Manturov and Moscow Governor Andrej Vorobjov.
German Economy and Energy Minister Peter Altmaier, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche and Mercedes-Benz Automotive Division Board Member Markus Schafer were also present.
At the inauguration ceremony, the Moscovia factory presented the E-Class sedan produced here.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Altmaier said that the Russian auto market continues to be a key market for German car manufacturers. The opening of the first Mercedes-Benz plant in Russia is an important turning point for Mercedes-Benz’s commitment in Russia, as well as between the German-Russian joint venture as a whole.
Spanning an area of 85 hectares, the new factory was built in less than two years and is part of the Daimler group’s global production network, which includes more than 30 locations across various countries. The designed capacity of the plant is 25,000 vehicles per year. Besides the E-Class, the plant will also produce a number of SUVs for the domestic Russian market.
According to Reuters, most foreign automakers opened production plants in Russia in the first half of the 2000s. After peaking in sales in 2012, sales of new cars in Russia fell to the lowest level. In 10 years, there will be 1.42 million cars in 2016. Currently, the Russian car market is growing again with the number of cars sold in 2018 reaching 1.8 million cars.
