Russia's Avtotor, China's Great Wall agree on partnership, Tank 300 SUV to be localized in Kaliningrad
MOSCOW. March 16 (Interfax) - Kaliningrad-based Avtotor and the Russian representative office of the Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors (Great Wall Motor Rus LLC) have agreed on a strategic partnership; the first localized model of the concern in Kaliningrad will be the premium frame SUV Tank 300, Avtotor's press service said.
The car, already known on the Russian market, will be produced in Drive, Premium, City Drive and City Premium equipment packages with a 2-liter turbocharged gasoline engine producing 218 hp and a torque of 380 Nm, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Two interior trim options (black and black-red) and five exterior colors are available. Sales of the vehicles will be carried out through the official dealer network of the Tank sub-brand.
"We have begun joint work with the technological partner Avtotor with the production of the Tank brand of premium SUVs. This strategic cooperation will allow us to ensure the availability of Tank 300 SUVs for Russian car enthusiasts and strengthen the company's position in the Russian market," the president of Great Wall Motor Rus LLC, Zhang Junxiue, was quoted as saying.
The general director of Avtotor Auto Holding LLC, Yevgeny Petukhov, in turn said that the start of contract production of the Tank 300 is scheduled for Q2 2026. "Cooperation involves a phased deepening of the brand's car production technology and increasing the level of localization," he said.
Great Wall Motor Rus LLC is the exclusive distributor of Haval, Poer, Tank, Wey and Ora cars and spare parts in Russia, operating since 2014. The Tank brand of premium SUVs, part of the Great Wall lineup, was first introduced in 2021. The brand's dealer network unites 49 Russian cities.
According to Autostat, the Tank 300 remained the best-selling new premium vehicle in Russia in 2025. Nearly 9,400 such cars were sold last year, which, according to Autostat's experts, corresponded to a 7.2% share of the entire new premium car market in the country.
