Japanese automaker Isuzu's former plant in Ulyanovsk, now Sollers Comtrans LLC, is scheduled to begin producing commercial vehicles on a new platform at the end of this year, Sollers Group co-owner Zoya Kaika told Interfax on the sidelines of the INNOPROM forum and exhibition.

"We plan to relaunch production at the Ulyanovsk plant where Isuzu Rus once worked in the fourth quarter of this year. We will relaunch production of trucks there that, in terms of class and features, are very close analogs of the Isuzu line that was produced on the Russian market. We're targeting exactly the same capacity classes in which Isuzu had a presence - medium duty vehicles," Kaika said.

The platform for this line of vehicles will be provided by Sollers Group's new Asian technology partner: "This platform is entering the Russian market for the first time. It was not represented here in any form before, so the homologation process is quite long. We are now finalizing it and I think that we will already present these automobiles officially at the beginning of the fall," Kaika said.

Isuzu had an official presence in Russia since 2006 and opened the plant in Ulyanovsk in 2012. The company's model range included 3.5 to 33 tonne commercial vehicles and D-Max pickups. Its dealership network included about 100 centers in Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Kazakhstan.

Sollers bought Isuzu's Russian assets at the end of 2023 after the Japanese company left the country. In addition to the planned relaunch with a new product, the company distributes spare parts for Isuzu to meet warranty obligations and service the brand's vehicles.

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