GAZ Group and Mersa Otomotiv say they will start sales of Euro-5 GAZelle Next vehicles in Turkey, the first such series assembly operations of Russian Euro-5 light commercial vehicles abroad.
Russian production began earlier this month.
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GAZelle Next SKD assembly operations were set up at the Mersa Otomotiv plant in Sakarya, 150km from Istanbul.
Key components and systems of the vehicles are delivered from Russia while some parts, such as propeller shafts, wheel discs, batteries and braking system elements, are purchased from Turkish manufacturers.
Some 24 dealer centres and 38 certified service stations have been established in seven regions of the country.
In 2014, GAZ obtained unified European vehicle type approval allowing it to sell GAZelle Next vehicles in the European Union.
Certification tests were carried out both in Russia and abroad while emission tests were performed by AT IDIADA, Spain as there is no equipment for Euro-5 emission tests in Russia.
The export share of GAZ commercial vehicle sales has grown from 13% to 18% during the last two years with the company attributing the increase to a rise in sales in the CIS, South-Eastern Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.
“Today, GAZ Group has modern products that can successfully compete in European and other export markets,” said GAZ Group parent, Basic Element’s chairman, Oleg Deripaska.
“The company is investing around US$375m into development of the Next light commercial vehicles and light-duty trucks product portfolio.
All the developments are taking into account the export market requirements. Export development is one of the key focuses of the GAZ Group strategy.”
