As more and more foreign companies halt or completely abandon operations in Russia, Stellantis continues to build vans at its Kaluga factory near Moscow.
The factory produces approximately 11,000 commercial vehicles annually, including vans from Peugeot, Opel, and Citroen. Mitsubishi co-owns the factory and builds the Outlander and Pajero there.
Speaking with Auto News earlier this week, a Stellantis spokeswoman confirmed that the Kaluga factory was still operating, albeit at a low level. She added that the site may have to shut down because of logistical and supply problems.
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Stellantis has already halted imports and exports to and from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. Chief executive Carlos Tavares has previously said that the company could also shift production away from the Kaluga site and to its plants in Hordain, France, and Luton, England but it has yet to do so.
Moving production away from the Kaluga site would be a big change in strategy for Stellantis as in January it announced it would use the Kaluga site to export commercial vans across Europe to meet increased demand. The site has the capacity to build 125,000 vehicles annually and was going to become an important global export hub for the company.
While recently speaking on the matter, Tavares said that Russia accounts for €20 million ($22 million) to €30 million ($33 million) worth of profit for Stellantis annually.
Word on the site still operating comes shortly after Renault bowed to pressure and said it would suspend operations at its plant in Moscow while assessing its options on its majority stake in Russia’s largest automaker, AvtoVAZ.
