deliveries from Korea vs. parallel imports – Autoreview

Over the past ten years, Hyundai has made great efforts to localize the assembly of the maximum number of models sold here in Russia. The production of Hyundai Solaris and Creta cars was carried out on a full cycle (with welding and painting of bodies) at its own plant in St. Petersburg, a motor plant started working next door, and contract assembly of other cars was organized at Kaliningrad Avtotor, and Hyundai Sonata sedans were also produced here in full cycle CKD (the rest are “screwdriver” assembly SKD). Of the entire passenger range, only the H-1 and Staria minivans remained imported. But since February, everything has changed.

The St. Petersburg Hyundai plant went into idle time on March 1, Avtotor worked intermittently in spring and summer, although the assembly of Korean cars was still carried out in small batches as components arrived. And Hyundai, meanwhile, began delivering cars directly from South Korea. Moreover, the documentary possibility for such imports was laid down a long time ago.

Hyundai has been doing “dual certification” for many of its vehicles for many years. According to the law, different Vehicle Type Approvals (OTTS) must be issued for the same models of local and foreign production, which the Koreans did. Before, it was more of a reinsurance: for example, the first batch of crossovers Hyundai Tucson new generation came to us from South Korea, but soon the assembly began at the Kaliningrad Avtotor. And now this practice has acquired a new meaning.