Fiat's Russian plant will open in St. Petersburg. At least, that's what the Russian news agency Ria Novosti reports. For some time, however, Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Lingotto, had expressed his intention to return to invest in the country by expressing to the Russian government its willingness to create a plant for 20 cars a year.
The investment should approach one billion and among the possible areas for the new plant beyond St. Petersburg, where many factories of foreign groups such as Toyota and Nissan are located for logistical reasons, there has been talk of a site in the federal district of the Volga and its suburbs of Moscow.
Russia has returned to the top of Lingotto's attention, together with China (where Fiat already has a joint venture), after the situation on the US market has increasingly restricted growth prospects. In the meantime, sales in the country also grew, rising by 17% in July (cars and light commercial vehicles, to 2.325 units) compared to a year earlier. In the first seven months of the year, Fiat thus sold 16.807 units (+59%, according to the Association of European Business). At the same time, the Russian market recorded growth of 27% in July and 50% in the first seven months, respectively.
