OREANDA-NEWS. German Daimler considers St. Petersburg as a possible site for the production of cars Mercedes-Benz. The company applied with a corresponding request, said a spokesman of City Committee for Investments.

It was already proposed the site in the industrial zone of Shushary for the concern, there is a free area of 50 hectares. Earlier Suzuki was going to build a plant on this site, but because of the crisis of 2008, it abandoned the project, said the director of “Auto-Dealer-SPb", Michael Chaplygin. The plants Toyota, GM, Ssania, MAN are already working in Shushari. St. Petersburg is among the main areas after Moscow and Moscow region that are considered by German company for plant construction, wrote the newspaper "Vedomosti" by citing its sources. Decision about the production organization of passenger cars Mercedes-Benz in Russia is still pending, said a company spokesman, by refusing to comment further.

In Moscow talks focused on the site "ZiL" but The Plot that was allocated for auto industry can be built up with residential and commercial real estate, so the authorities now look for an alternative site. Negotiations with Daimler are continued by the authorities of the Moscow region, said one of the employees of the regional government. Site for the company is offered by Tatarstan, recently said Minister of Industry, Denis Manturov.

In 2013, the CEO of "Mercedes-Benz RUS", Yang Madey, informed "Vedomosti" that it is preferable to organize the production of passenger cars with manufacturing partner. Under this scheme, the company is already working in Russia with Kamaz (it was created a joint venture for the production of heavy trucks Mercedes-Benz) and "GAZ Group" (at its facilities there are produced light commercial vehicles Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Classic, as well as engines for these LCV).

St. Petersburg is interesting by the developed automotive cluster, lower costs than, for example, in Moscow, convenient logistics, including for the supply of components from Europe, says analyst of "VTB Capital", Vladimir Bespalov. But Moscow and Moscow region are closer to a large market, he adds. According to expert, Daimler, most likely, will organize on the first stage the SKD assembly; in this case the investment could be several tens of millions of dollars.

In January-October of 2014, despite the decline in the Russian market by 12.7%, sales of passenger cars Mercedes-Benz in Russia increased by 12% to 40,673 units, the brand is ahead of its main competitors - Audi and BMW, which already have the production in Russia. Daimler is hurry with the decision on the organization of production, said the federal official. It will permit to reduce costs, which is especially important in the weakening of the ruble, and to overcome the ban, which is valid since the summer of 2014, for the procurement of cars by authorities assembled outside the Customs Union - this approach can be extended to the purchase of state-owned companies.