Volkswagen back in Russia via Chinese unit, 12 August 2024

...Volkswagen has re-entered the Russian market, though the company claims ignorance of this development, according to ZEIT ONLINE.

The German automaker reportedly resumed operations in Russia in July, introducing its Jetta brand—a vehicle originally designed for the Chinese market. These Jetta models are essentially rebranded versions of other Volkswagen vehicles.

The Jetta brand in Russia is represented by an official website registered to a Russian subsidiary of a Chinese partner company of Volkswagen. Zeit questions the plausibility of such an operation proceeding without Volkswagen’s awareness.

Volkswagen Group, however, maintains that it is “unaware” of any business activities in Russia. Volkswagen had previously announced a suspension of deliveries to Russia one week following the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.