MOSCOW (Interfax) - Volkswagen, which produces some of its vehicles for the Russian market at a plant in Kaluga, plans to increase sales in the country by 10-15% in 2012, the head of Volkswagen Group Rus, Marcus Osegowitsch said on March 20 on the sidelines of an automotive forum organized by the Adam Smith Institute.
The German automaker sold 223,000 vehicles in Russia last year, up from 130,400 in 2010, Osegowitsch told reporters.
He said the company would assemble a total of 180,000-190,000 automobiles in Russia this year, including at the facilities of the GAZ group in Nizhny Novgorod.
Asked about plans to build an engine plant, Osegowitsch said a decision has not been made yet, and the company is considering various options. It is looking at four Russian regions for construction of such a plant, investment in which could total about EUR 150 million, he said.
Volkswagen’s plant in Kaluga now produces four models of two brands with a full production chain, and two models by the Semi Knocked Down method. The company invested EUR 570 million in the plant and EUR 774 million in the project overall.
VW vehicles are also produced by SKD assembly at a GAZ plant in Nizhny Novgorod, which is expected to launch a complete production chain in November.
