The German car brand Opel will begin its return to the Russian car market in the spring of 2019.
The process will be led by PSA Peugeot-Citroen, which bought the German company from General Motors in 2017. The deal for 2.2 billion euros also involved the British manufacturer Vauxhal.
The reason why PSA decided to resume car production in Russia was the decline in sales of the concern, according to Autoreview. Less than five thousand Peugeot and Citroen cars were sold in Russia last year. The previous minimum sales in the market was recorded in 2002.
According to the agreement reached within the framework of the deal with General Motors, PSA Peugeot-Citroen will not produce or sell Opel Astra, Corsa, Mokka, Zafira and Insignia models in Russia.
It is known that the commercial Zafira Life and Vivaro, as well as the Crossland X and Grandland X crossovers, will be the first cars launched on the Russian market. The Opel plant will be based on the joint territory of the PSA enterprise and the Japanese company Mitsubishi, located in the Kaluga region.
In 2015, the American concern General Motors, which owned the Opel brand, announced the transformation of its business in Russia, after which the German manufacturer actually left the local market. The production of German brand cars in Russia was completely stopped.
