Russia is building Chinese cars in a German factory – and mocking Mercedes

2019 was still there Mercedes In Russia it is the sun and roses. “A new chapter in the history of the company in Russia” will be opened, said the then boss of Daimler Dieter Zetsche at the opening of a new car factory near Moscow not only to withdraw from Russia, but also to cut all ties to its dealers You can no longer get cars, spare parts or software updates to customers or dealers in Russia, at least not legally.

Mercedes left Russia, now the Chinese are coming

Cars are expected to roll off the assembly line again in May at the former Mercedes plant in the Solnechnogorsk district near Moscow. The reports the Russian news agency “Tass” citing the example of the governor of the region Andrey Vorobyov. But Chinese cars are now being produced. Governor Vorobyov mocked Mercedes in a TV interview: He was sure that the quality of Chinese cars built at the old Mercedes factory “would not be worse”.

It has not been revealed which manufacturer will take over the Mercedes plant. However The common knowledge blog “Mercedes-Fans.de” was reported in November 2023. that it is a Chery company. “Chery car brands are scheduled to be launched on the market in the first half of 2024. The European production facility fits well with China’s plans,” says the blog. Some Chinese manufacturers, who are also rolling out the red carpet in the EU with new plants in Hungary (BYD) or Spain (Chery), for example, they do good business with Russia.

Russian-friendly Chinese manufacturers also sell in Germany

VW had a large market share, Hyundai, Ford, Renault and Co. not only did they beat Lada, the biggest Russian car manufacturer, but also the Chinese within two years. Although the Russian car market is still at a low level (1.1 million units in 2023), almost every second car sold in Russia last year was a Chinese brand. Among others, the following Chinese manufacturers do good business with Russia, as China’s Yicai Global news service reports :

• Geely – of all people, the shareholder of Mercedes and the owner of Volvo – sells various models in Russia, with a total of more than 84,000 cars in 2023.
• Cherry : The manufacturer’s popularity is growing due to SUV models such as the Tiggo. Spicy: Despite its business with Russia, which is approved by the EU, Chery is receiving a large amount of funding to build a new car factory in Spain. In Germany, by the way, there is something hidden behind the brand Omoda and Jack manufacturer Chery.
• A big wall : With more than 138,000 vehicles, Great Wall is experiencing significant growth in China. SUVs from the Haval brand are very popular. score It is not and the small electric car “Funky Cat” also belongs to the Great Wall Group – and is sold in Germany.

The Chinese are expanding into Russia and Europe

Unfortunately, the trade of the Chinese and Russia has no effect on their expansion in Europe. European developers can only watch this. The Russian market is actually not important compared to that of the EU, USA or China. However, European manufacturers had to write off investments worth millions. The Renault group was hit hard because it worked with the Russian car giant Avtovaz (including Lada) for a long time. In 2022, Renault suffered a loss of 700 million euros due to the cancellation of Russia.