The Ministry of Industry and Trade, together with the Almaz-Antey concern, are exploring the possibility of launching the production of E-Neva electric vehicles at the former Toyota site in St. Petersburg. This was announced on April 12 by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov. His words were reported by RIA Novosti.
According to Manturov, the start of production of the E-Neva electric crossover is scheduled for 2026, and before that, there is an opportunity to assemble cars of other brands at the Toyota plant in order to “rock production itself.”
The Russian division of Toyota – Toyota Motor Company – announced the closure of the assembly site in St. Petersburg in the fall of 2022. The company promised to fulfill all social obligations to the team, maintain after-sales service for Toyota and Lexus vehicles and support the dealer network. But after the sale of the asset, it was not planned to resume the production of Toyota cars at the site.
Toyota’s losses from the cessation of production in Russia, including the cost of compensating about 1,900 employees upon dismissal and asset impairment, amounted to approximately $650 million.
The production site of the Japanese concern at the end of March 2023 was transferred to the FSUE NAMI subordinate to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Then the department said that it was working out the possibilities for the speedy resumption of production at this plant.
The Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defense Concern is one of the largest enterprises in the defense industry, producing both air defense systems and various civilian products. But earlier, the concern had practically nothing to do with the mass civilian auto industry. However, on the website of the joint-stock company in the products section, “communal sidewalk cleaning machines of the MK-1500M2 series” are indicated.
Vedomosti sent a request to Almaz-Antey.
The running layout of the E-Neva electric crossover was developed by the St. Petersburg Obukhov plant (part of Almaz-Antey) and was first shown to Manturov in mid-2022 in Nizhny Novgorod. It is assumed that the mid-size crossover in the basic version can be equipped with an electric or gas-electric engine with a capacity of up to 435 hp. With. The power reserve on one charge will be about 460 km, the maximum speed is almost 200 km/h.
Now, in fact, the transfer of the former Toyota plant to the ownership of Almaz-Antey is being worked out, explains a Vedomosti source close to one of the parties to the project. According to him, the agreements on the release of E-Neva in St. Petersburg have not yet been put on paper. Time until 2026 is necessary to settle the legal aspects of the Russian side’s ownership rights to the asset of the Japanese concern and prepare for the launch of production, the source clarifies.
The investment need of the project, according to the source, is about 60 billion rubles. Before the actual start of production of an electric car, some components for a new truck tractor developed by the Obukhov plant may be produced at this site, he admits.
According to another source familiar with the E-Neva project, the amount of funding for the project and its timing depend on the availability of its site for the production of an electric vehicle. Therefore, the interlocutor notes, the issue of obtaining the Toyota site as the property is currently being considered, but no decision has been made.
Of all the concepts in the automotive industry in Russia over the past 4-5 years, the Almaz-Antey project is the best in terms of organizational and methodological approach, independent automotive industry consultant Sergey Burgazliev believes. He notes that the former Toyota plant is a modern production facility where up to three car models can be produced without much retooling.
“The E-Neva concept itself is a gas-electric version, and this is the right approach for Russian realities. The presented prototypes are relevant in design, they have good ergonomics. In the current situation, given the availability of free specialists on the market, Almaz-Antey has the opportunity to assemble a good team for the project,” Burgazliev believes.
Alexey Nikolsky took part in the preparation of the material