KALININGRAD, Russia — BMW Russia President Christian Kremer said the Bavarian premium carmaker will resume production of the 7 Series here in 2010. The flagship will go back into production at the Avtotor auto plant in Kaliningrad in the spring and will be joined by the new 5 Series, Kremer said.
The BMW 7 Series had been previously produced here in 1999, when it was one of the first BMW models assembled in Russia. The new version will be equipped with a 2.5-liter engine and will go on sale in May, priced starting at the equivalent of $70,000.
BMW Russia says it also plans to produce the BMW 535i with a 3.0-liter, 306-horsepower engine, priced starting above $80,000.
Currently Avtotor produces five BMW models, including the current 3 and 5 Series, the X3 crossover and the X5 and X6 SUVs.
In 2009 BMW sold 16,365 cars in Russia, of which more than 7,000 were assembled in Kaliningrad. Despite the fact that due to the recession the Russian car market has dropped by more than 50 percent, BMW posted only a 10 percent drop in sales.
BMW Russia's Kremer notes that last month, BMW increased its Russian sales by more than 20 percent compared to the same period last year. By the end of 2012, the company intends to draw more Russian customers through the upgrading of its model range.
Inside Line says: BMW looks ahead to sunnier times for the Russian auto market. — Evgeniy Vorotnikov, Correspondent
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mikee9 says:
09:51 AM, 02/11/2010
A 2.5 litre engine in a 7? That just doesn't seem right.
isend2c says:
11:40 AM, 02/10/2010
I agree with Magburn!!!
magbarn says:
10:48 AM, 02/10/2010
Given the average Russian salary, $80,000 BMW's are most likely being bought by mobsters and associates of the oligarchy.