Mazda Opens Shop In Siberia, Others Follow

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Next week, Russian and Japanese dignitaries will assemble in the frigid Siberian port city of Vladivostok to celebrate the opening of the first Japanese car plant in the Russian Far East. On September 6, Mazda will start Russian production of its best-selling CX-5 SUV and the new Mazda6 sedan, says The Nikkei [sub] – most likely after having received an invitation.

The cars will be made in a joint venture between Mazda and Russian automaker OJSC Sollers at its Vladivostok plant. Toyota is planned to follow. Sollers is supposed to assemble the Land Cruiser Prado 4×4 in Russia. All will be built from Made-in-Japan kits.

Fiat-Chrysler was at one time supposed to join the Japanese in Siberia, but the project was scrapped. When that happened, Sollers sidled-up to Ford.

Vladivostok is in an ideal location for Japan, just 450 miles across the occasionally troubled waters. The city was a prime export destination for used Japanese cars. Many cars in the region are RHD, despite Russia driving on the right. The importation of new and used cars to Russia came to a grinding halt due to high new customs tariffs.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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