Russian company Automotive Technologies has confirmed that it has started batch production of the Citroen C5 Aircross at its plant in Kaluga this week, even though Citroen and its parent company Stellantis both pulled out of the country in 2022.
The vehicles are assembled from kits put together in China, sourced by the Dongfeng Motor Group, Stellantis’ joint venture partner.
“On March 27, batch assembly of Citroen C5 Aircross crossovers started at the factory in Kaluga,” Automotive Technologies said in a statement, per Reuters. “The cars will arrive in the salons of official Citroen dealers in May 2024, but it’s possible to book a car as soon as April.”
More: Russia May Produce Knock-Off Citroens At Stellantis Plant With Help From Chinese Partner
Automotive Technologies first started testing the waters with this method of circumventing international trade embargoes in February. At that time, it received a batch of 42 test vehicles and assembled them at the Kaluga plant.
Although Stellantis technically owns the plant, the company continues to say that it has nothing to do with these kits and that it has “lost control of its entities in Russia.” In February, the automaker said it had recognized €144 million (around US$155 million at current exchange rates) in losses due to control of its properties being wrested from it.
Citroen, and its parent Stellantis, is one of many Western-based companies that stopped doing business in Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has since started using “parallel imports” to get around these embargoes, leaning heavily on China for help. Trade data shows that exports from China to Russia grew almost sevenfold between 2022 and 2023. The value of those exports grew by almost $10 billion.
In addition to the Citroen C5 Aircross, Russia is also importing vehicles from JAC Motors, which rebranded as Moskvich vehicles in 2022. They, too, were assembled using kits bought from China.
