GAZ Group will get 30 billion rouble loan from VTB

After other Russian car manufacturers the government decided to support GAZ Group of Oleg Deripaska – VTB will lend it 38 billion roubles for seven years to refund the debt to banks syndicate. The agreement was signed on 4 November by VTB president Andrey Kostin and GAZ Group president Bo Andersson. 

According to GAZ Group’s data, at the end of 2010 its net debt was 38.5 billion roubles. The major creditor is a syndicate of 22 banks including Sberbank, which credited the Group with 39.3 billion roubles for five years to refund the previous debts to the banks, joined the syndicate. Almost a half of the syndicated credit is guaranteed by the State (20 billion roubles), which was agreed in February 2010.

Moreover 16.2% share of GAZ Group and its property was the credit security, Kommersant newspaper reports.

“Refinancing of syndicated credit is an anti-crisis measure for GAZ Group”, - says Mikhail Pak form “Aton”. He believes, “GAZ optimizes its debt load, replacing the syndicate of banks with one credit, which would make it easier to operate and negotiate”. “Due to refinancing of syndicate credit VTB ends restrictions in implementation of the planned by GAZ Group investment projects”, - said GAZ vice-president Elena Matveeva.

According to Kommersant newspaper, the collaboration with VTB will not be limited only with refinancing. It is possible that the bank will take part in financing of GAZ projects of car assembly for Volkswagen and GM, as well as such own projects as the GAZel Next. In Summer GAZ and Volkswagen signed agreement about contract assembly of 110,000 passenger cars per year at the plant in Nizhniy Novgorod. The total investment in production will come up to 200 million euro, 115 million euro will be invested by Volkswagen, and the remaining part – by GAZ. Moreover, GAZ is planning to start assembly of 35,000 - 40,000 cars per year for GM and 25,000 cars per year for Daimler in 2012, and in 2013 the company will launch production of the GAZel Next. In October chairman of Russian machines board of directors (owns 61% share of GAZ) Siegfried Wolf said, that the total investment in development of automotive cluster in Nizhniy Novgorod Region will come up to 8 billion roubles.

According to the sources in the market, Sberbank used to be the major bank, which credited automotive industry, but the situation is changing and VTB is becoming the key bank for the car industry. According to the sources, Sberbank and VTB are competing for this sector, however VTB carries out active expertises of the market and is ready to take part in financing of the new projects.