by As they say in Odessa, “indeed, yes.” Finally, the Finnish tire manufacturer, after long hesitations and scandalous statements, decided to sell its factory in Russia. Ultimately, the same applies to the German brand Mercedes-Benz, which thought it could cleverly exit the Russian market like Poplavsky leaving the stage…
It should be noted that the Nokian Tyres factory in Russia was launched in 2005 and cost the Finnish company 800 million euros. As for future prospects, there is information that after the sale, the enterprise will be able to continue producing tires under the Nordman brand, using the design and technologies of the old Nokian models.
In the case of Mercedes, the Germans are looking for the most painless way to exit Russia. Moreover, it is the Russian importer “Mercedes-Benz Rus”, which is a “daughter” of the German company, that will leave. However, there is a possibility that the Mercedes-Benz brand itself may remain, but under the patronage of a local distributor. What will happen with the factory is unknown. According to one scenario, it may be re-equipped for the production of Chinese cars. However, there is a second likely option – where E-class sedans and GLC, GLE, and GLS crossovers were assembled, “Mercedes” assembly may be resumed on a contract basis. But again, it is not certain, and it is unlikely, because nobody has canceled the logistical problems of components, and importing cars to Russia costing more than 50,000 euros/dollars directly from Europe and the USA is not allowed.
