The Russian electric car "Kama" will be developed and produced in Hungary. This year it is planned to open a Russian engineering center there, and in three years to produce 32,000 cars a year. In the Kama company itself, the decision is explained by the priority of the European market and cooperation with suppliers. It is difficult to fully design and launch such a machine in Russia, experts say. An engineering center with 65 specialists who will design an electric vehicle will open in Hungary this year, and in two years the number of specialists employed in the project should double. The launch of production with a volume of 32 thousand cars per year will not happen before 2025, the Hungarian Ministry of Innovation and Technology said in a statement.
So far, the partnership has been formalized by an agreement of intent, which was signed on Monday by the Minister of Innovation and Technology of Hungary, Laszlo Palkovich, and the head of Kama JSC, Igor Povarazdnyuk.
The Kama company explains the partnership with Hungary in the field of R&D and production, including the development of solutions in electrical and electronics, as an important priority of the European market for the project itself.
“We are gathering an international engineering team for our startup, building relationships with partners and suppliers in Europe.
Hungary is one of the fastest growing points of development of the automotive industry in the EU, this is clear from the production facilities of Mercedes-Benz, Bosch and other companies located in it”,
- reported in the company "Kama".
The project has already been invested by KamAZ, one of the largest manufacturers of electric buses in Europe, and businessman Ruben Vardanyan, emphasizes at Kama JSC. Electric cars "Kama" were originally planned to be sold in Russia, the question of the production of the car in our country was left unanswered by the company. Kama promises to disclose detailed information about the plans in the first quarter of this year.
In December 2020, the Chelny Automobile Plant presented the concept of the Kama-1 electric car, created in partnership with St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. In 2021, a separate legal entity was created to develop an electric vehicle startup. According to the current extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities,
JSC "Kama" is registered in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny, and its authorized capital is 720 million rubles.
Ruben Vardanyan and KamAZ CEO Sergey Kogogin invested in a new startup in approximately equal shares (360 million rubles each), RIA Novosti reported in early December, citing Kogogin.
At the same time, we are not talking about the launch of the previously shown concept into mass production. According to Vedomosti, the new electric car will be larger (4.4 m in length), its curb weight will be 1.7 tons, engine power will be 150 hp, and the cruising range will be up to 450 km.
The political situation can become an obstacle to the development of the project abroad. In particular, US Congressman Jim Banks submitted to the lower house of the US Parliament a draft law providing for the imposition of sanctions against a number of Russian businessmen and government officials.
The document also mentions the name of Ruben Vardanyan.
The development of the Kama electric car in Hungary can be explained by more convenient logistics, as well as easing the problems with car certification in the European market, experts explain.
“Cars of such a format as Kama would be extremely correct to introduce first in Russia as part of the concept for the development of electric transport developed by the Ministry of Economic Development.
As a pilot project, it would be possible to “run in” development, production, development of local technologies and component base, as well as the use of benefits,
- said an independent consultant on the automotive industry Sergei Burgazliev, - However, in Russia it is now extremely difficult to design a car completely. Perhaps in Hungary, design, testing and certification issues are resolved faster.”
From a technical point of view, the indicated terms for the development and establishment of production are feasible - with sufficient investment in 2-2.5 years, it is possible to create a new platform and a small production of 35-40 thousand cars per year, the expert adds.
“Obviously, the company has a calculation regarding European sales. In addition, it is much easier to develop a project in terms of logistics in Hungary than in Naberezhnye Chelny”,
Igor Morzharetto, a partner of the Avtostat analytical agency, argues in an interview, “After all, this country is located in the geographical center of Europe.”
The implementation of the announced plan to bring the car to the market and production volumes now depends on many factors - restrictions due to the pandemic, a shortage of auto components, and rising prices for materials. The current business plan may well be adjusted in the future, he believes.
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