AvtoVAZ says it is addressing delivery improvement issues with its transportation company after feedback from dealers in Russia.
The question of delivery quality was a feature of AvtoVAZ’s recent meeting with its dealers in St Petersburg on the sidelines of this year’s International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in the former Russian capital.
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“I met with the CEO of RT Logistics and I highlighted we need to improve delivery discipline,” said AvtoVAZ CEO, Bo Andersson, to around 15 dealers in St Petersburg.
“And also quality of delivery of the vehicles to the dealers. Easy to say, hard to do, but we will follow it up.
“Together we have a chance to improve the image of Lada with the [Granta] Liftback and I want you to be as critical as possible as it helps us fix an issue. I follow up every day.”
The AvtoVAZ chief was addressing his St Petersburg dealers following the launch last month of the Lada Granta Liftback from the Izhevsk factory and after improvements to the vehicle’s door, transmission and sound insulation.
“As I said two weeks ago, two years from now, we launch three new vehicles,” said Andersson. “Even if it is 489 days to the launch of Lada Vesta, I follow up every morning, because the issues we have on the Liftback, we should have fixed.
“The issues we are finding on the Vesta, we are fixing.”
Andersson noted the “final change” to the Liftback rear doors would take place on 1 July, following the introduction of the new lock-set, while interior improvement was also being worked on.
The automaker head, until recently CEO of fellow-Russian vehicle manufacturer, GAZ Group, also urged his dealers to carry out more pre-delivery inspections, insisting feedback would be transmitted to the plant.
Andersson – speaking at the event outside St Petersburg’s iconic Winter Palace and for many the symbolic birthplace of the Russian Revolution in 1917 – also noted there were relatively few Ladas in St Petersburg.
“It is painful to come to St Petersburg to see very few new Ladas,” said Andersson. “I left GAZ five months ago, but I still feel pride seeing Gazelles rolling down the streets in Moscow and St Petersburg.
“The strategy we are working on…is Lada Grant and Kalina, we will do whatever we can to keep them fresh.
“We will always do what is right for Lada and for Lada dealers. It is easy to say, but that is what we are doing.”
Lada Granta Liftback prices start at RUB314,000 (US$9,000).
