Nissan to resume production at St. Petersburg plant on Aug 17
MOSCOW. Aug 4 (Interfax) - Nissan will resume production at its St. Petersburg plant on August 17 after shutting down the assembly line for summer vacations on August 3, the company said in a statement.
"The company's plants suspend production in various countries throughout the world for a short period in the first half of August, giving employees the opportunity to vacation in the summer. This is a global practice and the Russian plant is not an exception," the statement says.
Car production was suspended at the Russian plants of Renault Avtoframos, Toyota, Kamaz and Avtovaz in August. Workers at the Russian plants of Volkswagen, GM-Avtovaz and Ford have returned from their summer vacations.
Nissan saw car sales in Russia fall 73% in June compared to June 2008, while the market contracted by 56% overall.
Nissan officially opened its plant in St. Petersburg on June 2, 2009. The plant currently produces the Nissan Teana, but will launch the production of the Nissan X-Trail in the fall. The plant will eventually produce 50,000 cars per year. At present, the plant employs 750 workers in a single shift.