Production of airbags, belts and steering wheels will be localized in Russia

Sollers will produce the components, and production will be organized at UAZ facilities, RBC reports, citing its own sources. In addition to airbags and steering wheels, the assembly of electronic control units and seat belts will be established there. All of the above is planned to be installed not only on Sollers and UAZ cars: the company is also counting on demand from competitors, in particular, GAZ and Moskvich.

The Sollers automobile manufacturing group will launch the production of security systems together with a Chinese partner, but which one is still unknown. The option of creating a joint venture that will produce control units, steering wheels, airbags and seat belts is being considered – the industrial park of the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant has already been chosen as the assembly site.

1.5 billion rubles will be invested in the project, and for this purpose a loan will be taken from the Industrial Development Fund (IDF), which has already confirmed Sollers’ interest in a preferential loan in the amount of 1.2 billion rubles. The Ministry of Industry and Trade, for its part, supported the initiative to localize components for automobiles. The ministry called this “an important step in achieving the technological sovereignty of the industry and providing domestic cars with the necessary components.”

RBC cites sources who are familiar with Sollers’ plans. They said that the project will have a high level of localization: an example is the steering wheel, the base materials of which, including magnesium alloy for the frame, foam and leather, will be Russian. “For airbags, the localization of materials for cutting and sewing airbags is being considered; in the production of electronic control units, the manufacture of a printed circuit board and the development of Russian software are envisaged,” the publication quotes its interlocutors.

Potential customers for domestic security systems could be Moskvich, GAZ and Russian factories that currently produce Chinese cars.

New Russians: premieres of our automobile industry