Citroën withdrew from Russia in 2022. Now the Russians have taken control of the brand's factory in Kaluga and want the Chinese's help with copy products.
EU country sanctions prohibit Citroën from trading directly with Russia. But Stellantis Group cars can still be found brand new on Russian roads via detours.
Stellantis has a collaboration with the Chinese Dongfeng group, which is not subject to the same restrictions.
This cooperation allows Dongfeng to sell the group's cars in China. And Russia takes advantage of the possibility of parallel imports to… Russia.
According to Reuters , last December the Russian company Automotive Technologies obtained enough parts from China to manufacture 42 copies of the Citroën C5 Aircross.
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Anonymous car dealers in Russia tell the news agency that the cars are part of a pilot project which – if all goes according to plan – will mean mass production of the model as early as this year.
The same dealers tell Reuters that they will receive the first cars soon. But it is not certain that these cars will be equipped with the Citroën logo.
Technically, Stellantis owns 70 percent of the Kaluga plant, while Mitsubishi owns the remaining 30 percent. But Stellantis also says that last December they 'lost control of the factory'.
Stellantis is far from the only car group that has withdrawn from Russia. In fact, the Russians complained last year that they only now have the opportunity to buy new cars from China.
At least if the trades are to take place completely officially. Even if, on the outside, there is great enthusiasm for the license-built cars from the dictatorship. Read more about it here .
