Japan's Mazda plans to build its plant in Russia

TOKYO, March 4 (Itar-Tass) -- Japan's automaking corporation Mazda is studying the possibility to build its first assembly plant in Russia.
Reports have appeared in the press that it can be placed in the
Maritime Territory, but no decision to this effect has been made yet, a company source told Itar-Tass.
According to him, groups of experts have been sent to Russia, India and Brazil to study the issue on the spot to place plants.
As was previously reported in the press, at the first stage the plant will produce up to 30,000 cars a year, and 700-1,000 new jobs will be created there. At the same time, there is information that Mazda curtails the production at one of its plants in the U.S. due to demand reduction.
In December, the president of Mazda, Takashi Yamanouchi, said that his company was considering the issue of actively entering the Russian market.
To this end, it intends to build its assembly plant in Russia. The
corporation head noted that the production of cars on the spot was seen by the Mazda management as "more efficient than the export of finished cars".
Entering the Russian market is part of Mazda's new export strategy, explained the company president. Its purpose is bringing the world market sales to 1.7 million automobiles by March 2016. Out of these, 300,000 are expected to be sold in BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa.
Among the Japanese automaking companies, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors already have assembly plants in Russia.