News

On the 4^th of September the official opening of a new plant of Volkswagen Group Rus, producing engines, took place in Grabtsevo Industrial Park. The first engine, which came off the assembly line, was a gasolene-engine 1.6 MPI of EA 211 range. It’s an important stage for Volkswagen Group Rus in realization of the local manufacturing content programme. The solemn opening ceremony took place in attendance of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, the temporarily assuming the responsibilities of the Governor of Kaluga Region Anatoly Artamonov, the Director General of Volkswagen Group Rus LLC Marcus Osegowitsch and the representatives of Volkswagen Group Rus top management.

The investment amount is 250 mln euro. About 400 work places are created. The productive capacity is 150 thousand engines per year. The new plant of 32 thousand m² is situated in close vicinity to the Volkswagen Automobile Company. New powertrains will be installed on the following models: Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Polo, the production of which is realized at the Volkswagen plant in Kaluga, on Volkswagen Jetta, Skoda Octavia and Skoda Yeti, the production of which is based on the industrial site in Nizhny Novgorod. The manufacturer is equipped with new machinery, the characteristics of which surpass some lines of Volkswagen European plants.

Dmitry Medvedev: «These are serious large-scale investments and it's the first case, when a foreign company localizes its engines production on the territory of the Russian Federation. Business relations with Volkswagen company aren't tremulous to any conjuncture influences, and we set a high value on this collaboration. What has already done within a short span of time, really impresses – modern production, high efficiency work places. It’s for what we’re striving on the territory of our country, when we modernize manufactures, invite investors, carry out a united technological policy. It’ll be so in the future, it's our course, which isn’t tremulous to outside influences. The Russian market has great development prospects, particularly, in the automotive sector». In conclusion Dmitry Medvedev thanked all those, who took part in the creation of a new enterprise.

As the Director General of Volkswagen Group Rus LLC Marcus Osegowitsch marked, notwithstanding the decline at the Russian car market, the concern investment programme didn’t stop but implicated considerable additional investments. With investment amount of 1,3 mlrd euro the company became one of the greatest investors of the Russian automobile industry. «We suppose that the opening of an engine plant will be an important landmark not only for Volkswagen Group Rus LLC in Kaluga Region but also for the whole Russian automotive industry. The Russian automotive market was and still is priority-oriented and significant for Volkswagen concern. In the future we’ll have a chance to supply our cars, produced in Kaluga and Nizhni Novgorod, with home-produced engines, manufactured at our own modern plant. In such a way we're not only raising the localization percentage of our cars, but also making them more available for our Russian consumers», - Marcus Osegowitsch accentuated.

Thomas Schmal, member of the Volkswagen motor-car board, responsible for the «Components» line, confirmed the interest for Russia from the direction of Volkswagen concern: «The enlargement of Volkswagen in Kaluga – at first, a car enterprise, and now an engine plant – is a piece of evidence, speaking about a strong position of the region. We want to continue this process, as we believe in the potential of the Russian automotive industry».

In his turn, Anatoly Artamonov wished every success to the new enterprise. «We are creating all the necessary infrastructure for business development and we are continuing our work, connected with improving the investment attractiveness of the region», – Anatoly Artamonov marked.

Since 2016 30% cars, imported to Russia, will be equipped with Russian engines. The gasolene-engine 1.6 MPI of EA211 range, produced in Russia, is an embodiment of the most modern technologies of the concern in the engines sphere.