Volkswagen has resumed operations at its car plant in the Russian city of Kaluga after two weeks of summer holidays but GM-AvtoVAZ, which makes the Chevy Niva SUV at Togliatti, has suspended production this month. Moscow-based Avtoframos, controlled by Renault, has also suspended production for scheduled summer holidays from today until 24 August.
Volkswagen, which assembles Golf, Jetta, Tiguan, and Passat cars plus Skoda Octavia models in Russia, suspended Kaluga production on 20 July. The factory, which opened in November 2007, produced over 60,000 cars last year and according to ASM Holding, which monitors Russia’s automotive industry, built 25,146 cars in H1 2009.
GM-AvtoVAZ said Togliatti workers would receive two-thirds of their normal wages during the suspension. AvtoVAZ, which supplies some components to GM-AvtoVAZ, has already suspended production for all of August.
GM-AvtoVAZ plans to restart with a five-day, one shift, eight-hour work week from 1 September. It produced 10,399 Nivas in the first six months of this year, down 65% year on year.
Avtoframos assembled 72,718 Renault Logan cars in 2008 and produced 23,964 cars in the first half of this year.
