Autonews reported on what is happening at the factories of the departed auto giants in St. Petersburg. Hundreds of crossovers of the Chinese brand Jaecoo and Solaris models — rebranded Hyundai and Kia vehicles — have now been spotted on the territory of the former General Motors enterprise in Shushary.
The site, owned by a structure of AGR Automotive Group, has come back to life: fresh cars in the parking lots, employees and equipment at the entrance, and loaded trucks nearby.
The GM enterprise, opened in 2008, was idle for a long time — first due to the departure of Opel and the partial curtailment of Chevrolet, then due to the cessation of Hyundai's activities. However, at the end of 2024, it became known that the production site was transferred to the hands of a new owner — Art-Finance, part of AGR, which also owns the former Hyundai and Volkswagen plants. Despite the lack of official statements, signs of production activity are now obvious.
But on the opposite side, it is quiet on the territory of the former Toyota plant. This complex, which produced Camry and RAV4, has been effectively frozen since 2022. There is no activity on its territory, but the driveways are used for city buses. The building itself reminds of the Japanese brand only with its color schemes.
The territory is surrounded by swampy areas, where journalists even encountered poisonous snakes.
