Mazda CX-5 Coming to Russia

We’ve heard stories of major European automakers shipping already built cars from Germany to Russian in two or three big subassemblies only to avoid the heavy Russian import taxes. We hope it’s not the same story here, as Mazda is only the latest in automaker to announce a partnership with local producer Sollers. According to Inside Line, both the new CX-5 and the Mazda6 sedan will be built in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, under a joint venture valued at about $80 million (€61 million). The initial production capacity of the Sollers plant in Vladivostok will be 50,000 cars a year, with the potential to growth pegged at 70,000 units if demand rises. Right now, Ford is the biggest automaker to collaborate with Sollers in Russia, as a deal that could have ended with production of 500,000 cars for Fiat a year fell through.