Kaliningrad's Avtotor begins producing Chinese JMC-branded LCVs and pickups
KALININGRAD. Aug 16 (Interfax) - Kaliningrad's Avtotor, which is developing cooperation with Chinese brands BAIC, Kaiyi and SWM after the departures of former South Korean partner Hyundai and German BMW, has begun assembling cars from another Chinese partner, Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC), the press service of the Russian automaker said.
Production of JMC cars was launched Wednesday under an agreement signed at the Avtotor group's site in the village of Pereslavskoye, Kaliningrad Region, where Hyundai commercial vehicles were previously produced.
Three models are being assembled at the plant: a JMC compact urban commercial vehicle, the Carrying (gross weight options 3.5 and 5 tonnes, wheelbase 3360 mm, chassis length 5900 mm, 2.8L turbocharged diesel engine capable of 109 hp); a universal commercial vehicle the JMC Conquer (gross weight 9.4 tonnes, wheelbase 3815 mm; chassis length 6990 mm, turbocharged 2.9L diesel engine with a capacity of 2.9 liters and 156 hp), and the Vigus pickup truck (gross weight 2.8 tonnes, wheelbase 3085 mm, chassis length 5345 mm, 2.5 liter turbo diesel engine with 128 hp).
The commercial vehicles can be equipped with a wide range of universal and special add-ons, including side/back panels, various cargo-carrying options, refrigerators, auto-hydraulic lifts, garbage and towing options, etc.
Upon reaching economically efficient production, the parties intend to expand cooperation, including the development of a plan to increase capacity for the production of JMC cars and provide the necessary investments. Upon reaching the required production volumes, a phased transition to the full-cycle production of JMC cars is envisaged, including welding, painting, and assembly, Avtotor said. The targeted production indicators are not indicated in the company's press release.
The agreement with the Chinese brand also provides for an increase in the level of localization and deepening of production technology in the interests of developing the Russian automotive industry, Avtotor's press release says. The parties are developing a plan to increase the added value they will create in Russia, the company said.
The JMC dealer network in the Russia now includes more than 25 dealer centers located in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Sevastopol, as well as in the Chelyabinsk, Samara, Kaliningrad, Rostov, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Sverdlovsk, Volgograd and Sakhalin regions, in Tatarstan, in the Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar, Stavropol and Primorsky territories. The brand is also available in Belarus.