GM shushary plant. How is the new Opel Astra assembled? GM plant tour

At the end of last week, production of the new generation Opel Astra began at the GM plant. Today, this is the fourth model launched at the General Motors plant in the village of Shushary near St. Petersburg. Taking this opportunity, we continue our series of excursions to the factories of the largest manufacturers operating in Russia.

The plant of the American company began its work a little less than two years ago - on November 7, 2008. To build it, it was necessary to pay 300 million dollars - a considerable amount, but the design capacity of the plant is 60,000 units per year - this is 10,000 more than at the Nissan plant in Kamenka.

Initially, only two models were assembled at the enterprise - the Chevrolet Captiva and Opel Antara crossovers, but already in August 2009, the Chevrolet Cruze joined them. At present. According to Hans Jürgen Michel, CEO of GM Auto, it was not at all easy to launch such a number of models in that short period, but “modern flexible production equipment and a young, motivated team of employees made it possible to solve a difficult task.”

It is noteworthy that before the launch of production of the new Opel Astra, the plant worked only one shift. Now everything has changed - with the appearance of a new model on the assembly line, the plant switched to a two-shift mode and, accordingly, recruited 700 new employees. From now on, the total number of the enterprise was over 1,500 people. Of course, all new employees underwent special training - during intensive months-long training on the unified international GM production system. Hans Jürgen Michel is convinced: “The GM Auto plant operates to the same high standards as GM plants around the world.” So Russian buyers should not worry about build quality.

The GM assembly plant in Shushary, minus a few nuances, is very similar to the Nissan plant in Kamenka. Car assembly is carried out here through a full cycle, including welding and painting of bodies. As in Kamenka, the Dzhiemovsky plant has a low level of automation - manual labor is widespread at all stages of production. Welding is done manually, using various manipulators, and the finished bodies are rolled between stations directly on carts. The only robot in the entire assembly shop, like at the plant in Kamenka, applies glue to the glass before installing it.

As at the Nissan plant, different models are mixed along the assembly line. After welding, the bodies that have passed the mandatory inspection are sent to the painting shop, where not only the paint coating is applied, but also anti-corrosion treatment is carried out. Then the car begins to acquire details: lighting equipment, doors, trunk and hood. And a little later - interior elements.

Then the long-awaited moment occurs - the meeting of the body and chassis, which move along the conveyor along a parallel line. A special automatic trolley helps connect the engine and transmission to the prepared body.

Workers only lift the units to the required height and fasten the connections. At the final stage of assembly, wheels are put on the car and it is filled with process fluids, after which the finished car goes to the quality control stand.

However, careful control is carried out at all stages of production - as at the Nissan plant, most defects are eliminated directly on the assembly line. The algorithm is as follows: if the problem cannot be solved within the allotted time, the assembler gives a signal to the foreman, who takes the car under his responsibility and continues to fix the problem at the next post. In this case, the conveyor does not stop, and this is the main difference from the Nissan plant system.

The last point is to check the car on a test track. At this stage, extraneous noises or squeaks are identified, as well as the serviceability of all equipment. If necessary, the car is returned to production to fix problems, and if everything is in order, the car is sent to the finished product site.

The conveyor's throughput capacity is 15 new cars, and with the introduction of a second shift, the plant will be able to produce up to 240 cars daily (87,600 per year). At the same time, the Nissan plant, even at full capacity, cannot produce more than 139 cars per day (50,000 per year).

Now about the prospects of the model itself. In 1.5 months, about 3,000 orders were received for the new Opel Astra. This means that the first cars that will be assembled in the near future have already been purchased. However, no specific production volumes appear to be planned. The number of cars produced will be determined solely by demand - like their colleagues, GM representatives prefer to “work for the customer.”

Contrary to assumptions that it would be difficult for GM to leave the Russian Federation, it was not noticeable that the concern suffered in any way from its decision, which was unexpected for participants in the Russian car market. Unlike, by the way, from manufacturers of auto components. Thus, due to the cessation of GM production (and a decrease in supplies to Ford), Johnson Controls closed a plant in the Leningrad region, as well as the Canadian company Magna, and the Japanese company Unipress suspended the construction of a plant in St. Petersburg.
Perhaps this was determined by the fact that the Russian market was important for GM, but not strategically significant, and the company was not integrated with the country’s production structure as closely as Volkswagen or Hyundai. The GM plant has been operating in Shushary since 2006, the volume of investments in the enterprise amounted to $300 million.
Production volume grew quite quickly against the background of booming growth in sales of foreign cars. The cars were “stamped” in three shifts and at the beginning of 2012 the 100,000th car (Chevrolet Cruz) rolled off the assembly line.

However, when the crisis broke out in Russia, GM immediately left Russia. So quickly that a conspiracy theory immediately arose about the political background of the automaker’s actions. GM, however, immediately rejected this version, announcing that it was changing its strategy in Russia due to the economic situation. The head of the company in Europe, Karl-Thomas Neumann, explained in March 2016 that the company does not want to constantly incur costs to meet localization requirements in conditions where these costs cannot be recouped due to the market situation.
The dynamics of the car market after the company's departure proves that GM's decision at that time was hardly wrong. Let us note, by the way, that the company has mothballed production, but is not getting rid of it. In February 2016, Karl-Thomas Neumann said that GM has no plans to resume production, but noted that the automaker has “building blocks” in case a decision is made to restore production in Russia: “We still have a dealership net. So “never say never.”
Regarding the plant, Neumann emphasized: “If we sell it, we will get a small profit in the short term, but it costs us little to keep it.” At the same time, Neumann essentially rejected the return of Opel brand cars to Russia.
In July 2016, it became known that General Motors would allegedly sell cars by importing them to Russia from Kazakhstan. Deliveries of Chevrolet cars are planned to be established within three years from the Asia Auto plant, some media sources reported.
As far as we know, GM has not confirmed the existence of such a project. Later, GM announced that they planned to concentrate on the premium segment of the Russian automobile market. As part of this strategy, the concern abandoned budget Chevrolet models and Opel cars, although servicing these cars continues. By the way, in September, the Russian division of the General Motors concern GM Auto LLC recalled from Russia 3 thousand 257 Chevrolet Cruze and Chevrolet Orlando cars sold from October 2011 to July 2012. The reason for the recall is a possible malfunction of the return hose of the power steering.
Having stopped selling cars in the mass segment, the company continues to sell Cadillac models and classic American Chevrolet models - Corvette, Camaro and Tahoe. It should be noted that the premium segment of cars in Russia is growing, in contrast to the budget segment.
For comparison, based on the results of nine months of 2016. 22,947 GM cars were sold on the Russian market, of which 22,063 cars belong to the mass segment of the Chevrolet brand, which is 45% less than last year, but Cadillac brand cars were sold 33% more during the period under review (849 units). By the way, after leaving Russia, General Motors signed an agreement with the Belarusian automobile plant Unison on the large-unit assembly of the fourth generation Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Tahoe for supplies to the Russian car market.
In September 2016, information appeared again that the General Motors plant in St. Petersburg could resume car assembly. The peculiarity of this news was that it came from the head of the Committee on Industrial Policy and Innovation, Maxim Meiksin.
According to him, at the end of 2016 - beginning of 2017, production of passenger cars will resume at the GM plant in St. Petersburg, but not GM™, which in itself is unusual, so the media voiced different versions of what kind of cars these could be. However, the versions were not destined to be confirmed, since GM denied information about the resumption of work at the plant in St. Petersburg. In turn, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that it had not received any proposals to resume production at the General Motors plant site - Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov spoke about this at the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum.
Another September rumor about the GM plant is the possible transfer of its St. Petersburg automobile plant to the management of the Belarusian automaker - Unison CJSC for the production of Cadillac cars.
Presumably, the companies will sign an agreement on this in October 2016, but the details of the project are still unknown. First Deputy Minister of Industry of Belarus Gennady Svidersky, without denying the very fact of negotiations between GM and Unison CJSC, emphasized that there are no real plans to manage the plant in St. Petersburg.
On January 25, 2017, rumors about the resumption of GM production in the Russian Federation are gradually reviving again, Vice-Governor Sergei Movchan said: “Negotiations are underway. I can’t give any details.” We have to wait for a refutation or confirmation of this information from GM representatives. One of the assumptions why
GM easily left the Russian car market in 2015 and was in no hurry to return, the fact was that at that time the car markets of developed countries had largely overcome the crisis, GM's global sales were steadily increasing, and besides, the company coped with the colossal scandal of 2014 associated with the recall of millions faulty brand cars around the world.
According to some reports, the losses of General Motors (GM) from leaving the Russian market amounted to $443 million - this became known at the beginning of 2016, and in 2015 this figure was $644 million (based on the results of the third quarter), but, apparently, these losses did not cause significant harm to the company. Thus, by the end of 2016, General Motors expects record profits, and the main market is China, where 3,870,000 cars were sold, this is 7.1% more than in 2015, and this is a record sales figure. And in Russia, at the end of last year, sales of GM cars amounted to 31,737 units, 53% less than in 2015. 96% of this number are Chevrolet cars, 4% are Cadillac.

At the same time, traditional import seemed to many dealerships less profitable than various schemes for small- or large-scale assembly of cars “on site.” For this reason, almost immediately after the collapse of the USSR, Russia began to establish the production of a wide variety of “foreign cars,” as they were called then. Many of those projects became “projects”, that is, they ended in failure. Some (for example, Renault or Ford) managed not only to “anchor”, but also to win a significant piece of the market pie from their competitors. Others, for a number of reasons, went down in the history of the Russian automobile industry as unsuccessful investors who not only failed to make money, but even failed to “break even,” that is, to at least get their own investments back.

Failed trick

Ironically, the American concern General Motors was the first to see the point in Russian localization - and came to the territory of the Russian Federation with an investment project.

Already in 1995, an assembly plant opened in Yelabuga - a GM plant for the production of Chevrolet Blazer SUVs. Moreover, the Blazers were originally manufactured in Brazil and somewhat “tweaked” in order to formally meet the criteria and definition of a “Russian-made car.”

What attracted Americans to Tatarstan? State approach: the President of the Republic, Mintimer Shaimiev, was able to “knock out” the status of a special economic zone for Tatarstan with the corresponding abolition of duties on its territory. Thus, Blazer vehicle kits were not subject to customs clearance, which in theory had a favorable effect on their price.

Alas, the project turned out to be quite unsuccessful: instead of the planned 50,000 cars, it was barely possible to sell about three thousand Blazers, which turned out to be too expensive, but not “passable” enough. With a price range of 25-40 thousand dollars at that time, it was possible to buy a much more interesting car of “pure” Western assembly. Well, the 1998 crisis finally dotted all the i's, determining the unenviable fate of the Russian Blazer.

The company's management learned certain lessons from history and decided to produce not an expensive SUV, but a more affordable passenger car - the Opel Vectra. It was assumed that due to localization the car would become cheaper by about a fifth, which theoretically should have increased its attractiveness in the eyes of potential buyers.

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In practice, for some reason, the factory assembled versions “in full mince” - that is, in almost the maximum configuration, which did not have the best effect on the price of such a Vectra and, accordingly, on its cost in comparison with competitors.

Over the first four years, GM did not increase the degree of localization of production, remaining, in fact, a large-scale assembly site. The state’s reaction was not long in coming - in 1999, the benefits were canceled, and the management of the concern decided to suspend the activities of the joint venture.

Analysts of that time came to the conclusion that GM, through a loophole with the abolition of duties and benefits for production, simply sought to avoid “customs clearance” by saturating the market with its own products.

Unsinkable...

By that time, GM had established cooperation on a number of projects with the Russian auto giant AVTOVAZ. Negotiations and “feeling out” each other ended for the American and Russian partners with the conclusion of an agreement on the creation of a Chevrolet Niva joint venture, with both parties owning 41.5% of the assets, and 17% belonged to the third participant, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The American concern itself invested about $100 million - approximately a third of the total investment in this project.

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Due to the fact that the localization share of the Chevrolet Niva ranged from 90 to 98%, the model turned out to be very competitive in price - more precisely, it simply had no competitors in terms of the ratio of cost and consumer capabilities. The Renault Duster, similar in its “set”, appeared much later, and at the beginning of the 2000s, the practical, affordable, but not too “Soviet-like” feeling Shniva found its army of fans in the person of Russian motorists, who were too “much and harsh” of the usual old Niva, but I wanted to get an honest all-wheel drive.

It is important that for relatively modest money the consumer received a new car, and this has always been a strong argument for a car with a developed all-wheel drive transmission. After all, the service life of the units of any SUV depends on many factors, not the least of which are the manner of operation and quality of service. Who drove a used jeep and how, how the gearbox, axles and transfer case were serviced - these questions are akin to a lottery with elements of Russian roulette. Many preferred not to take risks and buy a new Chevrolet Niva.

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However, Shniva was not so much a localization of a Chevrolet car, but rather a licensed VAZ model, which received a cross on the grille and the name Louis Chevrolet in the title. And in parallel with this project, GM did not abandon “classical localization” - that is, the production of its own products at production sites in the Russian Federation.

The General Motors concern, as part of a joint venture with AVTOVAZ, began producing the Chevrolet Viva in 2004, which differed from the regular Opel Astra G only in the engine and equipment, but at the same time was closely matched in cost to the next generation Astra (N). Not the most competent pricing policy led to the fact that the $340 million invested was never recovered, since even at first it was possible to sell approximately 2,500 cars annually. Well, in 2008, His Majesty’s financial crisis struck, and the Viva project, like many others, was curtailed.

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...and sunken

Also in 2004, Americans came to Kaliningrad, where production of a number of models of the American concern began at the Avtotor plant. The reason is still the same - the status of a special economic zone with corresponding benefits for customs clearance. After all, since 1996, it was possible to import automobile components duty-free into the Kaliningrad region and sell them in Russia with a 30% markup on the import cost. Such a favorable customs climate allowed Avtotor to assemble over 600 thousand cars for GM in more than 10 years! In the best years (2010 - 2012), 130,000 cars were assembled here per year, and on average, Avtotor produced approximately 50-60 thousand cars of the concern annually.

Since in the mid-2000s the Russian automobile market was, as they say, on the rise, GM management decided to keep up with the times and, like other Western manufacturers, became concerned with the issue of building its own plant. Geographically, three regions were considered as assembly sites - Leningrad region, Nizhny Novgorod and Kaluga.

Due to the fact that a trusting relationship had developed between Governor Valentina Matvienko and GM top managers, the choice fell on St. Petersburg. Moreover, initially in Shushary they planned to assemble not only (and not so much) Toyotas and GM products, but also Mercedes. However, the Germans realized that localization, taking into account the technical features of their products, would be too complex and impractical. That is why Americans and Japanese settled in the industrial zone near St. Petersburg.

GM management took this project very seriously, as evidenced by the scale of the investment - about $300 million. The opening of the plant took place at the very peak of the Russian economy - in 2008. Back then, already on the threshold of the crisis, no one had yet felt the icy breath of the “collapse” of the car market (like many other markets).

However, a few months later, the global economic system was shaken by the global financial crisis, which hit one of the largest automobile corporations quite hard. General Motors lost about $30 billion, and sales of GM branded vehicles in Russia fell by about 60%. Much sadder was the fact that, as a result of debt obligations, GM was forced to declare bankruptcy, becoming an enterprise owned by the American state for several years.

Such metamorphoses dramatically affected the promotion strategy of the concern’s cars in the Russian Federation. The role of the main violin in the orchestra of GM managers began to be played by financiers who were well versed in managing money, but had little understanding of competition and methods by which they could maintain the automobile market. The slowness of the functioning of the machine called the General Motors concern also had a fatal impact. Many operational decisions were made slowly and at the wrong time, which did not fail to affect the company’s position in the Russian market.

All this immediately affected the sales volumes and market share of the concern in Russia: even before the 2014 crisis, GM dropped by about 10%, and the general deterioration of the situation in the Russian auto business led to an epic collapse - in 2014, the number of Opel cars sold and Chevrolet has tripled in size! Of course, this was largely facilitated by the collapse of the national currency and the subsequent two-stage rise in retail prices for the concern’s cars.

As a result of such metamorphoses, production capacity utilization in St. Petersburg amounted to barely a quarter of the planned indicators. The low level of localization (40%) “tied” the cost of vehicle kits and finished cars to the exchange rate, and GM was still in no hurry to invest money in production, remaining more an assembler than a car manufacturer in the Russian Federation.

Unlike Renault, Ford and Volkswagen, the American concern missed an opportunity to localize steel and stamping, which could have helped the company stay afloat in such difficult times. However, what was done was done - or rather, nothing special was done. As a result, the moment came when GM management faced a dilemma - to invest in Russian production with unclear prospects or to leave the market completely, remaining “with their own” (of course, taking into account irrecoverable losses, and without “their own” too). Based on the geopolitical situation (and GM, as you know, is an American corporation), as well as from forecasts for the Russian automotive market, the company has invested so much effort, time and money over 20 years.

However, the Russian General Motors project has certainly justified itself financially over two decades, but in the future it is unlikely that the Americans will be able to enter this river again. However, overseas owners are by no means eager to invest money for a nominal presence in Russia - and it seems that nothing else can happen to them. On the other hand, the company did not sell its own production facilities, but only mothballed them, at the same time. But before the end of the grace period (2020), there is no particular reason to return to the industrial assembly of Chevrolet or Opel. And by that time, more global factors influencing the adoption of such strategic decisions may become clearer...

General Motors, abbreviated GM- the largest American automobile corporation, the largest automobile manufacturer in the world. General Motors Corporation (GMC) is a world-famous American concern. It produces various types of trucks, including passenger trucks - utility vans and pickups.
Currently, General Motors owns the following automobile brands: Alpheon, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Opel and Vauxhall. Previously also produced: Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Hummer, Saturn, Asüna, Acadian, Geo.

Based on the results of 2014, the concern ranks third in the world (after Toyota and Volkswagen) in terms of the number of cars sold (9.92 million units). Production is established in 35 countries, sales in 192 countries. The company's headquarters are located in Detroit.

History of General Motors

The history of General Motors began with two brothers. Brothers Maurice and Max Grabowski started their business in 1900. They manufactured a truck for sale that was equipped with a horizontal single-cylinder engine. The Rapid Motor Vehicle company, which was founded in 1902, began producing trucks with a single-cylinder engine for the first time.

In 1908, William S. Durant in the USA on September 16, 1908 organized the General Motors company, by which time William S. Durant already owned the Buick company. The company's headquarters were initially located in Flint, Michigan, and then moved to Detroit. This company subsequently absorbed not only the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, but also all the other small automobile manufacturing companies that were present in Michigan at that time. General Motors produced the first trucks in 1909.

1916 was the year the General Motors Corporation was founded. In 1916, the company's trucks took part in the first Trans-American Automobile Rally. They were able to cross the entire country, from New York to Seattle.
During World War I, General Motors supplied the army with about 100,000 trucks and their modifications. After the war ended, the company began to work closely on modifications and improvements to the assembly line at the plant located in Pontiac. In addition, the re-equipment of the cars themselves began. They were converted into motor cars and railcars for various purposes.

The year 1925 was marked by a very important event. The Chicago company The Yellow Cab Manufacturing became part of the General Motors company. The company now has the opportunity to produce trucks with light and medium payloads and put a brand logo on them.
In 1925, the T series cars were born. By 1931, one of the first class 8 vehicles was developed. It was a heavy T-95 truck. The carrying capacity of this vehicle reached 15 tons. It had a four-speed transmission and air brakes.
In 1929, the company was ordered to develop a special truck designed for transporting circus animals, including elephants.

Since the early 1930s, it has been the largest automaker in the United States and in the world. Entered the “Big Three” automakers: GM, Ford, Chrysler.

In 1934, the company developed the first model of a truck in which the cabin was located above the engine. This vehicle was shipped to Bekins Van and Storage. By about 1937, the trucks the company produced were taking on more and more streamlined shapes. Their coloring has become much more varied. By the beginning of 1939, A series models began to be actively used. These were modifications AC, ADC, AF, ADF. They were numbered from 100 to 850 inclusive.
Since 1935, the company has been closely involved in the production of diesel engines. In truck designs, such engines are quickly becoming extremely popular.
The first pickup truck, a semi-tonka model T-34, was created in 1938.

During the Second World War, the company became closely involved in military orders. It produces equipment for submarines, tanks and special trucks. Many of these trucks ended up in Russia as part of Lend-Lease. One such vehicle is the famous DUKW amphibious vehicle. She could move both on land and on water. During the war, it transported equipment and soldiers. There were three modifications of this famous car - 2-ton, 4-ton and 8-ton.
By the end of the 40s, the company's products were very popular all over the world. Car sales were very successful, even taking into account the fact that the design of the cars remained virtually unchanged.
But around 1949, the A-series models began to become very obsolete. They were replaced by trucks of the Class 8 category with a fundamentally new design. By the end of the year, the “H” series model was born. For the next decade, it was the only Class 8 truck the company produced. In addition, the release of the "Bubblenose" variant began at that time. It was equipped with a special cabin, in which, in accordance with the order, a sleeping place was provided. The cabin was located above the engine. Series numbers greater than 900 were assigned to vehicles with a large load capacity. Smaller numbers belonged to vehicles with a small carrying capacity.

In the 50s, the production of Jimmy trucks began.
In 1956, 4WD was released - the first car with all-wheel drive.
In 1959, the last Bubblenose cars with a cab that was located above the engine were released. They were replaced by a series model that is known throughout the world as the “Crackerbox”. This name was given because the cabin had an angular shape and was shaped a bit like a box. There were modifications of the car, both with and without a sleeping place. In 1968, production of these trucks was suspended.
In 1968, a new car, the Astro-95, appeared, the cabin of which was located above the engine. Almost immediately he received the widest recognition. The cabin design has been completely changed. In addition, the car was equipped with a new windshield, which provided much greater visibility, and a new semicircular dashboard. Cars were produced both without a sleeper and with a sleeper.
Astro cars were discontinued in 1987. It should be noted that based on the massive H models characteristic of the 50s, the 9500 series cars were developed. They began to be produced in 1966. These were trucks whose hoods were made of fiberglass. The hood could be folded forward. The space under the hood was such that almost any diesel engine could fit there.

In the early 1980s, the company faced various problems and for the first time in 60 years showed a loss for the year.

January 1988 was marked by the fact that General Motors became part of the Volvo-White group, which was engaged in the production of trucks. And today the company has not lost its significance. It produces “New Family” trucks (translated as “New Family”). This is a joint product of Autocar and Volvo-White - General Motors.
Nowadays there are a lot of trucks of the latest developments from General Motors in operation. But outdated models have not lost their importance. Nowadays, several models of the company are most famous.
First of all, this is a Sonoma pickup. There are three modifications of this car - Crew Cab, Extended Cab and Regular Cab.
Next up is the full-size Sierra ACE pickup. It was introduced in January 1999 in Detroit. It is distinguished by the presence of a large number of decorative chrome parts, powerful 18-inch wheels and a combination of round and rectangular headlights. Its double cabin can accommodate six people. The rear seat can be accessed through the third door located on the starboard side.
The next car is a Safari minivan with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. This is a very compact family car. It is perfect for rural areas.
In the Van Cargo configuration, this vehicle is very often used for commercial transportation. This model is practically a double of the Chevrolet Astro model. They differ only in the design of the front panel.
Next up is the Savana SLT minibus. It can accommodate seven passengers. This car has three modifications - 1500, 2500 and 3500. They can accommodate from 12 to 15 passengers.
Next up is the Yukon SUV. It is available not only with all-wheel drive. There are options in which only the rear wheels are driven. Such chassis are both cheaper and lighter. The Yukon model with a wheelbase of 2946 mm and the Yukon XL with a wheelbase of 3302 mm are equipped with bodies of the same universal type. Their capacity is 5–9 and 7–9 people, respectively. In terms of comfort, these cars are practically no different from passenger sedans. At the beginning of this century, the second generation of Yukon/Yukon XL models was born. These cars can be considered direct relatives of the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban.

In 2001, the generation of General Motors Envoy SUVs, whose ancestors were Chevrolet Blazer jeeps, changed. These SUVs are very different from previous years' models. First of all, the car has become much larger. It's practically a completely new car. All internal and external parameters of the machine have changed. The car's equipment has become much richer. The car is offered in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions.
It is safe to say that both in Europe and throughout the world, Russia is one of the most important markets for General Motors. Today in Russia such brands as Chevrolet, HUMMER, Opel, Saab, Cadillac are known. The Moscow office of the Russian company now has more than 270 employees. Products are sold in Russia through a dealer network. It operates in 55 cities across the country and has 154 companies.
In 2008, 337,810 General Motors vehicles were sold in Russia. This is 30% higher than sales in 2007. The market share in Russia at the end of 2007 was 9.6%, in 2008 it increased to 11.2%. Despite the fiercest competition, the company's products hold first place in Russia in the sale of foreign brands.
The company entered the Russian market in 1992. Just 10 years later, General Motors, together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Russian company AvtoVAZ, organized Russia's first joint venture in the automotive industry.

Nowadays, one of the sales leaders in the Russian automobile market is the Chevrolet NIVA, which is produced by a joint venture plant in the city of Tolyatti.
In 2004, the Avtotor company and General Motors entered into an agreement to carry out large-unit assembly of the HUMMER H2 in Kaliningrad. At this plant today, two Chevrolet models are assembled - Lacetti and Epica, as well as Cadillac SRX, STS and HUMMER H2 and H3.
In mid-2006, construction of a new automobile plant began near St. Petersburg in Shushary. This plant was opened on November 7, 2008. Today, this plant produces the Chevrolet Captiva SUV. A separate production line was allocated for the production of the Chevrolet Cruze. In the summer of 2009, production of this car began.
In 2005, a scientific office of General Motors was established in Russia. In this office, scientists from different countries conduct research in the field of science and technology.

General Motors history of the early 21st century: bankruptcy and revival

At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, GM's financial condition deteriorated greatly. On June 1, 2009, the company began bankruptcy proceedings (Article 11 of the US Federal Bankruptcy Law) - a corresponding lawsuit was filed in the Southern Federal District of New York. According to the terms of bankruptcy, the US government provided the company with about $30 billion, and in return received 60% of the concern's shares, the Canadian government - 12% of the shares for $9.5 billion, and the United Auto Workers Union (UAU) - 17.5% of the shares. The remaining 10.5% of the shares were divided among the largest creditors of the concern. US President Barack Obama said that the state does not plan to control GM forever and will get rid of the controlling stake as soon as the financial position of the concern improves.

Creation of General Motors Corporation

On July 10, 2009, a new independent company, General Motors Company, was created. The old GM (General Motors Corporation) was renamed Motors Liquidation Company. It was assumed that after bankruptcy the concern would be divided into two companies, the first of which would include the most unprofitable divisions, and the second - the most profitable Chevrolet and Cadillac. In particular, in 2009, GM planned to sell the unprofitable Opel, and one of the contenders for the purchase was a consortium of Magna International and the Russian Sberbank. However, in early November, GM decided to keep Opel for itself, citing the industry's emerging recovery from the crisis and its reluctance to leave the small-car market.

At the end of 2010, GM conducted a public offering of shares that became one of the largest in history. During the placement, the governments of the United States and Canada, which became the main shareholders during bankruptcy in 2009, sold their shares for a total of $23.1 billion.

Owners and management of General Motors

The company's main shareholders as of May 2011 are the US Department of the Treasury (35.5%), the United Auto Workers Union (USAU) (10.3%), Canada Gen Investments (9%).

Chairman of the Board of Directors is Tim Solso. The CEO is Mary Barra.

Activities of General Motors

Currently, General Motors owns the following automobile brands: Alpheon, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Opel and Vauxhall. Previously also produced: Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Hummer, Saturn, Asüna, Acadian, Geo.

General Motors works closely with a number of companies, sharing markets and jointly developing cars and engines. Among such companies are Fiat Auto SpA of Italy (Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Ferrari, Maserati brands), Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (Subaru), Isuzu Motors Ltd. (development for GM commercial vehicles and diesel engines, Isuzu brand), Suzuki Motor Corp. of Japan (Suzuki).

In addition, GM was the largest stakeholder in GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. of South Korea (Daewoo brand), which was discontinued in early 2011.

General Motors performance indicators

The company's factories employ 216,000 people (2015). The company's revenue according to US GAAP for 2010 amounted to $135.6 billion, operating profit - $5.7 billion, net profit - $4.7 billion. Revenue for 2008 amounted to $148.98 billion (in 2007 - $181 billion), net loss - $30.86 billion (in 2007 - net loss of $38.7 billion).

General Motors in Russia

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev together with the Managing Director for the Construction of New Plants General Motors John Burton at the opening ceremony of the company's automobile plant near St. Petersburg (November 7, 2008). The interests of GM in Russia are represented by the authorized organization General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS LLC, legal address: 123317, Moscow, st. Testovaya, 10.

As of May 2011, the company had 154 Chevrolet car dealers in Russia, most of them also sold Opel cars, and 28 sold Cadillac. In Russia in 2010, GM took second place in car sales, selling 159,376 cars of all its brands.

General Motors production in Russia

General Motors owns a car assembly plant in St. Petersburg, in Shushary, opened in November 2008. GM's total investment in the production complex is estimated at $300 million. Construction of the plant began on June 13, 2006; at the first stage (assembly of 70 thousand cars per year), the volume of investment in the project amounted to $115 million. Installation of equipment began in January 2008, a trial run of production took place in September, and the official opening of the enterprise was on November 7, 2008. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev attended the grand opening ceremony of the GM Shushary plant. The plant is scheduled to reach full capacity by the end of 2009. According to the general director of the plant, Richard Swando, negotiations have already been held with 80 potential suppliers of components, and the level of localization of production in St. Petersburg will be increased to 30% by approximately 2010.

Since September 2006, two years before the start of operation of the main GM assembly plant in Shushary, the company began assembling the Chevrolet Captiva from SKD kits in a rented workshop at the Arsenal plant, located near the Finlyandsky Station of St. Petersburg. Since September 2007, SKD assembly of the Opel Antara SUV has been deployed here, and since February 2008, assembly of the Opel Astra began at the second production site in Shushary. In 2006, 273 units were collected at Arsenal. Chevrolet Captiva, in 2007 - 5631 units. Captiva and 48 units. Antara. During 9 months of 2008, 30,575 Captiva, Antara and Astra models were assembled. As of February 2009, assembly at the Arsenal plant ceases, and workers are transferred to the plant in Shushary, where, from the end of 2009, assembly of the Chevrolet Cruze passenger model on the global Global Compact platform is also planned.

In addition, General Motors is a partner (owns 50% of the enterprise's ordinary shares) of AvtoVAZ OJSC in a joint venture - the GM-AvtoVAZ JV, which produces Chevrolet Niva SUVs. General Motors Corporation cooperates with the Kaliningrad-based JSC Avtotor, where the company produces cars under the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands.

In November 2008, General Motors launched production of the full CKD cycle of the Chevrolet Lacetti model at the Avtotor plant. The construction and equipment of additional welding and painting shops cost the parties approximately 80 million euros. The transition to the full Lacetti assembly cycle in Kaliningrad required the hiring of an additional 1,450 employees. The total amount of GM's investment in Avtotor exceeded $350 million.

On March 18, 2015, General Motors decided to close car production in St. Petersburg in the middle of the year, and also completely abandoned sales of Opel cars in Russia, starting in December 2015. Large-unit assembly continued until June 30; Since July 1, the plant has been mothballed, only a small part of the employees remains who will maintain the condition of the plant.

General Motors intends to assemble premium cars (Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Tahoe) for the Russian market in Belarus, at the Unison plant.