Sollers to move engineering centre for Atlant and Argo light commercial vehicles to Kazan
The centre for product development and engineering of the Russian automotive company Sollers is opening in Kazan. The agreement was signed on 7 December by Mikhail Guryanov, CEO of Sollers Engineering PLC in Ulyanovsk, and Dias Safin, CEO of Idea Innovation and Production Technopark CJSC. The signing ceremony took place at the site of the Tatarstan machine-building forum 2022 at the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Complex.
The centre starts operating in 2023 in Kazan at the site of the technopark Idea and will focus on creating new modifications and expanding the model range in the segment of light commercial vehicles (LCVs), as well as engineering support for the localisation programme of the entire manufactured line of cars, including the engine production project.
The opening of the new centre is associated with the beginning of the assembly of light commercial vehicles Atlant and Argo in Alabuga SEZ. According to the agreement, the Ulyanovsk engineering centre Sollers will transfer research work on the creation of new materials for the automotive industry to Kazan. To this end, the Ulyanovsk engineering company Sollers leases production and office space in the technopark Idea and will use the research infrastructure (laboratories and testing grounds). The total rental area and terms are not specified. Currently, Idea technopark employs over 95 residents engaged in research work.
Let us remind that the assembly production of two LCV models at the former Ford squares in Alabuga SEZ opened at the end of November this year. Sollers cars will replace Ford Transit that has left the Russian market. The localisation programme for the new line of commercial vehicles will include the production of diesel engines, stamping production, localisation of key electronic components, chassis elements, and so on. The entire current staff of the plant will be involved in the project," said Denis Manturov, the deputy prime minister and head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia. They promise that sales of the first LCVs start in December of this year, and full-cycle production is to be launched in 2023.