Results of passenger cars production in Russia in 2010

There were produced 1208,4 thousand passenger cars in Russia in 2010 and the production growth was 101,9% in compare with 2009. The sharp rise of car production is explained by the “effect of low base”. As many plants stopped their assembly lines or worked in the short regime in the winter holidays during the first months of 2009, owing to the car market falling and stocks increasing. From the other side, the enterprises of car industry started to increase the productions from the spring of 2010 in connection with the scrappage program launch and the market recovery. Herewith, the plants, which presented the Russian car brands, produced 581,3 passenger cars in 2010 and it was more by 83,4% than in the year before. At the same time there were produced 627,1 thousand foreign cars in the Russian territory and the production growth was 122,7%.

By the results of the previous year, the largest producer of passenger cars in Russia was AUTOVAZ, as it was expected. There were produced 545,5 thousand cars for 12 months. It exceeded by 85,1% the indicator of 2009, when the production volume didn"t reach 300 thousand cars and it was the worst result of Togliatti plant for the last years. So, the enterprise will not soon reach the pre-crisis results, when it assembled 700 thousand cars a year.

The second place in the rating of car producers of Russia was occupied by Kaliningrad plant “Autotor”. The plant could increase the production by 182,2% and assembled 170,2 thousand cars for a year and it set a record for its history. “Autotor” is also the biggest producer of foreign cars in Russia and it keeps this status the fourth consecutive month. Mainly it is connected with the more privileged position in compare with other enterprises, which work in industrial assembly regime. If the other enterprises were obliged to create production of full-cycle and to localize 30% of components, then “Autotor”, as the resident of special economic zone of Kaliningrad region, doesn"t have such obligations and it also imports components with zero customs duties. So, it allows the company to keep the high share of SKD assembly.

The third producer was Kaluga plant “Volkswagen Group Rus”, which increased the production almost twice during a year (+95,5%) and it assembled 94,6 thousand cars. This result was connected, first of all, with the considerable widening of model range, which was made by company in the year before. So, the market reacted on it by the significant demand and, as a consequence, it provoked the production growth in the enterprise.

The Moscow plant “Autoframos” locates on the fourth place of rating and it produced 86,6 thousand cars in 2010, which was more by 74,2% than in the year before. In February 2010 “Autoframos” launched new production capacities for the assembly of hatchback Sandero and the plant works in three shifts from November. The productivity of enterprise increased up to 160 thousand cars a year.

Vsevolozhsk plant “Ford” closes the row of five leaders by amount of assembled cars, which produced 80,4 thousand cars in 2010. It was more by 94,2% in compare with 2009, when it was assembled 41,4 thousand cars.

Among the other events of Russian car industry, which were in 2010, the start of production in Kaluga plant “PSMA Rus” should be remarked, which was set up in spring of 2010 and produced 26 thousand cars Peugeot, Citroen and Mitsubishi. We should also remark the 6 times production volume increasing in plant “Nissan” in St. Petersburg and also the positive dynamics, which had plant “Toyota” in Shushary (Leningrad region) the second consecutive month and it is only one among all enterprises.

Besides, “TagAZ” also should be mentioned, which was one of leading producers of foreign cars in RF only two years ago. But the plant had to decrease production almost four times in 2009 because of finance situation, which sharply became worse, and difficulties in relations with Korean partners. In 2010 it decreased the production volume by 1,1% and it was 26,3 thousand units.

By the results of 2010 the production of foreign cars in Russia exceeded the production of domestic passenger cars and it happened at first for the whole history of Russian car industry. There were assembled 627,1 thousand passenger cars in the plants of foreign producers and it was 52% of total production volume. There were produced 581,3 thousand cars of domestic brands (48%).

The summary production volume of passenger cars in Russia exceeded the indicator of 2006 (1178,1 thousand units) and the forecasted market growth permit to hope that in 2011 the Russian producers will exceed the indicator of 2008, when the historical maximum was fixed.

Dynamics of passenger cars production in RF, 2007-2010

% - Changes to YOY basis

* Sollers – plant of Naberezhnye Chelny and plant Sollers-Yelabuga

“Car industry of Russia. Results of 2010 and perspectives”