ST PETERSBURG, August 18, /ITAR-TASS/. Two St Petersburg-based autoworks resume production on Monday after a summer recess. The collective leave of the General Motors enterprise continued longer than usual: for almost a month while that of Toyota plant for two weeks, just as was the case last year.
A GM Auto spokesperson said the extended leave was connected with a decline in sales on the Russian market and the rouble weakening at the beginning of 2014. The assembly line of the enterprise was brought to a standstill for two weeks early in spring.
According t the European Business Association (EBA) data, over the first six months of the current year, the Russian market of new automobiles declined by 9.9% as compared with the corresponding period of 2013. In the January-July period of 2014, as many as 1.41 million automobiles were sold.
In particular, the sales of Chevrolet cars decreased by 23% down to 73.75 thousand cars, and those of Opel by 17%, down to 38.44 thousand autos while the Toyota plant, on the contrary, registered a two percent increase, up to 89.8 thousand sold cars (taking into account both imported and locally assembled).
The GM works, located in the city's south, makes Chevrolet Cruze car models and Opel Astra autos, and also assembles TrailBlazer ones. By 2015, GM is planning to complete boosting production capacities from 98,000 to 230,000 cars. The plant operates in two shifts, with the number of workers being about 2,000, office personnel taken into account.
The Toyota autoworks turns out Toyota Camry car model. At the end of 2014, the enterprise is expected to stamp car body components and make plastic ones. As of now, production processes comprise welding, paint work, and assembly. The company's plans envision that in 2016 the plant will start making a second car model the Toyota RAV4. The number of production workers is about 1,700.