Lada Iskra assembly will be split between AvtoVAZ and the former Nissan plant

Despite the emergence of information about the assembly of Lada Iskra in St. Petersburg, AvtoVAZ decided to use a mixed scheme. As it became known, the company will use the so-called "Argun option": bodies and vehicle kits will be sent from the head enterprise to the final assembly at the former Nissan plant in St. Petersburg.

Several test copies of Iskra have already been assembled at the St. Petersburg site. Local specialists are being trained at VAZ, and the painting and welding shops at the northern site potentially allow establishing a full production cycle. However, there is no talk of a large-scale transfer yet - production will still remain distributed.

At the same time, AvtoVAZ is facing a shortage of workload at its own facilities. The "Lada Zapad" plant is mothballed in Togliatti, and the main "Vesta" assembly line will switch to a single-shift schedule from September. This will lead to the release of about 3.5 thousand employees, and the corporation does not hide that the situation remains tense.

Meanwhile, the launch of Iskra at the St. Petersburg plant marks the closure of the Xcite project. Within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, AvtoVAZ and Avtozavod St. Petersburg LLC have already signed a cooperation agreement.