• Plant production capacity will double from 50,000 to 100,000 units a year
• The Toyota RAV4 production represents an investment of over EUR 135 million and an estimated additional employment of 800 people
• Toyota RAV4 is Russia’s best-selling SUV in the C-segment and best-selling Toyota vehicle in 2013
Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation - Toyota Motor Manufacturing Russia (TMMR), Toyota’s manufacturing facility in Saint Petersburg, Russia, has announced today that it will start local production of the current generation Toyota RAV4 model as of 2016. Production is destined for Russia and Belarus. The Toyota RAV4 joins the Toyota Camry that has been produced since the start of operations of TMMR in 2007. This second model represents an investment of RUB 5.9 billion (equivalent to more than EUR 135 million at today’s exchange rate of 0.0232) and in an initial stage additional employment is estimated to be 800 people. Including this new investment, total investment at TMMR will be around RUB 16 billion (equivalent to around EUR 370 million).
The decision to add the Toyota RAV4 production to TMMR’s operations has been made following the strong sales of this vehicle in Russia. As a pioneer creating a brand new segment, the Toyota RAV4 has established a solid reputation with Russian customers since its launch in Russia in 2002. Not only is the Toyota RAV4 leader of the C-SUV segment, the car has even become Toyota’s best-seller across all segments in Russia. The Toyota RAV4 is yet another illustration of Toyota’s “mass premium” brand strategy in Russia with a line-up of stylish, safe and reliable cars, fully in line with the needs of Russian customers.
Yoshinori Matsunaga, TMMR General Director, said: “This decision is a sign of trust for our employees and recognition of TMMR’s efforts for the last 6 years to produce high quality Toyota vehicles. RAV4 introduction is key to our sustainable growth strategy in Russia.”
Didier Leroy, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, said: “Since the RAV4 was launched in the Russian market in 2002, it has been extremely well received by Russian consumers. By localising the production of RAV4 at TMMR, we further commit to continuing our contributions to the development of the Russian automobile industry and providing products that satisfy Russian consumers.”
End 2007 Toyota started producing Camry vehicles locally in its plant in Saint Petersburg. In 2011 the new Camry model was successfully introduced. A year later, in 2012, TMMR saw the start of a 2nd shift and started supply of Toyota Camry vehicles to neighbouring Kazakhstan. As a result, TMMR’s production volume doubled in 2012 compared to 2011 figures, totalling approximately 28,400 units (versus approximately 14,100 units in 2011).
