The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister of Economy Alexander Tsybulskiy, Plenipotentiary Minister and Counselor of Chinese on economic issues Embassy to Russia Mr. Zhan Di, Chairperson of Association Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia Association Ms. Tsai Gouzhou, Head of the Committee for Foreign Trade Promotion in China Mr. Sui Tszinly, Vice-President of Lifan Mr. Mu Gang, Governor of Lipetsk Region Mr. Oleg Korolev, CEO of Lipetsk SEZ Managing Company Mr. Ivan Koshelev.
LIFAN company has succeeded in winning the top position among all Chinese car brands in Russia over the last 4 years with its Russian division Lifan Motors invariably named the most effective Chinese car maker in Russia since 2011. Keen to preserve the status, LIFAN has announced the launch of the new facility in 2017. The company is going to invest about $300 into the full cycle plant which is to take up 60 ha of the Lipetsk SEZ factory.
“We now see a great promise in the Russia-China cooperation entirely encouraged by both governments. We are staying committed to our plans to increase our market share, renovating the model range for Russian customers. The company is convinced that the construction of the new factory in Lipetsk will contribute greatly to our advancement.” - said Mr. Mu Gang.
The new facility will provide up to 1000 jobs for the region. The target capacity for the first stage is set at 60 000 cars per year. Most of the products are intended for domestic sales, however, some would be exported outside the Eurasian Customs Union.
Car manufacturing along with automotive components production are included into Lipetsk SEZ priority industries list. Mr. Ivan Koshelev, head of the SEZ operator company said: “LIFAN became the first Chinese tenant to join our special economic zone. As the managing company we are honoured to be hosting one of the leading Chinese corporation and offer LIFAN thorough and comprehensive support in Lipetsk.”
