Hyundai begins exports from St Petersburg

Hyundai’s plant in St Petersburg, Russia will begin exports of its Accent model this month. The plant officially opened in September last year, and mass production launched in January 2011.
Initially, the OEM will provide the Russian-made cars to Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. This year it expects to export between 7,000 and 8,000 vehicles within the CIS region, which benefits from an exemption from import duties. Eventually, exports will be expanded to include additional markets.
“The cars we produce at our state-of-the-art plant are popular among Russian customers, as they abide by strict quality standards and satisfy local preferences,” said Chun Gui Il, general director of Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Rus LLC (HMMR).
To meet expected demand, the OEM will boost annual capacity at the facility to 200,000 units and add a third shift later this year. The plant was originally planned for an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles.

News source: AutomotiveWorld.com