Nissan preparing to halt operation of car factory in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG. March 8 (Interfax) - The Japanese car manufacturing concern

Nissan Motor Co. is preparing to halt car manufacturing at its factory in St. Petersburg soon, the company press service said.

"As to our Russian operations, Nissan has suspended the export of cars to Russia and expects production to be halted at our factory in St. Petersburg soon," the report said.

The company also said about the creation of a fund of 2.5 million euro to support those hurt in the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Nissan will also donate one million euro through the fund to the Red Cross and other non-commercial organizations. Nissan will also provide another 1.5 million euro to ensure financial stability and constantly support of the company employees and their families hurt by the crisis.

The Nissan factory in St. Petersburg opened in June 2009. The investment in the first stage reached $200 million, and investment in expansion was 167 million euro. The enterprise manufactures the models X-Trail, Murano, Qashqai, and Terrano. Its capacity is 100,000 cars a year. The enterprise has some 2,000 employees.