Avtodom plans to close a deal to buy a Mercedes-Benz plant in the Moscow region within a month, said Andrey Olkhovsky, general director of the dealer holding, RIA Novosti writes.
“The closing of the transaction depends to a greater extent on the speed of the work of state bodies – all the necessary documents have been submitted from our side. We plan to close the deal within a month, of course, excluding the New Year holidays,” Olkhovsky said.
After agreeing on a new brand, production at the enterprise can be restored in 8-9 months, the general director of Avtodom specified. Olkhovsky stressed that the company plans to set up the production of cars at the plant, since it is narrowly focused on the specifics of production. According to him, it is hardly possible to produce something else at the enterprise. Olkhovsky also noted that the issue of localization “cannot be solved in the moment.” “But we would very much like to relocate the production of components for car assembly to our perimeter,” he added, noting that work is underway in this area.
On October 25, Vedomosti, citing sources, reported that Mercedes would sell its plant in the Moscow region to the Avtodom dealer. One of the interlocutors of the publication admitted that the deal may include an option under which Mercedes-Benz AG will be able to return to ownership of the plant within a certain time.
Mercedes launched a plant located in the Esipovo industrial park (Solnechnogorsk district of the Moscow region) on April 3, 2019. The declared investment amounted to at least 15 billion rubles. The plant is designed to produce 25,000-30,000 premium cars per year. The production site has been idle since the beginning of March.