The German company's enterprise, located in the Moscow region, was bought last year by the investor and dealer of the brand, the Avtodom group of companies.
The information that the German automaker is preparing to leave the Russian market appeared in the summer of 2022. Officially, representatives of the local office of Mercedes-Benz confirmed the company's intention to get rid of assets in the Russian Federation at the end of October. The list of assets also included a plant in the Esipovo industrial park (Moscow region), which managed to work for only a few years — the production site was launched in 2019.
In the photo: Mercedes-Benz plant in the Moscow region
The buyer of the Russian business of Mercedes-Benz was the investor and dealer of the German brand — the Avtodom group of companies. At the end of last year, it was reported that the future new owner (the deal has not been completed, as it is still under consideration by the government commission for the control of foreign investment) intends to restart the plant in the Moscow region in mid-2023, it was assumed that this enterprise will launched a line of premium cars. True, then the representative of Avtodom Group did not tell what brand he was talking about, and emphasized that negotiations were ongoing. jpg» /> In the photo: crossover Hongqi HS5, which was certified for the Russian Federation
Today, Izvestia spoke about a potential partner of Avtodom Group of Companies: according to the publication, cars of the Chinese luxury brand Hongqi may begin to be assembled at the former Mercedes-Benz plant in the Russian Federation. Recall that the name of the brand reads «Khuntsy», and in translation means «red banner», he himself is part of the state «celestial» concern FAW (First Automobile Works).
According to sources of the publication, Hongqi crossovers may be the first to enter the Russian market. Earlier, Kolesa.ru already reported that the HS5 SUV and the H9 luxury sedan were certified in the Russian Federation. Note that the list of recent new products of the brand also includes the HQ9 minivan and the H6 liftback. According to the CEO of Avtosmart (a subsidiary of Avtodom Group) Maxim Shishko, the company's main task is to create a «full replacement» for Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. He described them as «brands familiar to us, which were sold at 150-200 thousand cars a year» and added that «the potential for this segment is high.»
On the photo: Hongqi H9 sedan, which was certified for the Russian Federation , together with other models of the «parent» brand FAW. Note, according to the official website in the Russian Federation, a couple of crossovers can now be found on sale here — FAW Bestune T77 and Besturn X40.
According to the previously issued OTTS, Hongqi HS5 in Russia will be available with a petrol 2.0-liter “turbo-four”, the return of which is 218 hp, and the maximum torque is 340 Nm. The engine is paired with a six-speed Aisin automatic transmission. The drive is only all-wheel drive (although there are front-wheel drive modifications on the home market).
In turn, the Hongqi H9 sedan will be presented on the Russian market with a gasoline four-cylinder turbo engine of the same volume, its power is 245 hp and torque is 380 Nm. This engine is offered with a seven-speed «robot» with two clutches. The drive is only rear-wheel drive.
Details about which cars will be installed on the conveyor of the former Mercedes-Benz plant in Russia will appear later, probably next month. According to Autonews.ru, Avtodom Group of Companies did not confirm information about plans to assemble Hongqi models.