Hyundai hopes to sell 130,000 cars in Russian market in 2011.

ST. PETERSBURG, December 21 (Itar-Tass) - Sales of Hyundai cars on the
Russian market will reach 130,000 in 2011; out of the total, the new
model - Solaris - will account for 70,000, managing director of Hyundai
Motors CIS (SNG) Denis Petrunin told reporters on Tuesday.
According to the director's forecasts, the company will sell 80,000
cars in the Russian market this year, and taking into account the
commissioning of the Solaris model, the company's share in the Russian
market will rise the next year. "In 2011, we shall be able to win seven
percent of the Russian market and eight percent in 2012. Our aim is 10
percent in future," the company's representative emphasised.
The new model Hyundai Solaris the serial production of which will
start at a factory in St. Petersburg in 2011, will be put out in five
grades. Russian customers will be offered the Basic, Classic, Optima,
Comfort and Family versions of the new sedan's equipment grades.
For her part, chief of the public relations service of the Hyundai
Manufacturing Rus Company Maria Maltseva reported that the factory of the
Hyundai Company, along with the industrial park of the company's
suppliers, would create 5,000 jobs by 2012.
According to Maltseva, the Hyundai factory has now 1,200 workers on
its payroll. However, already in the spring of 2011, their number will
increase to 1,600 with the introduction of the second shift at the
enterprise. It is planned to introduce the third shift in 2012 in order to
put out 150,000 cars annually, which will increase the number of factory
workers to 2,400.
Hyundai started building the factory near St. Petersburg in June 2008.
The volume of planned investments totals 500 million euros. The factory
plans to manufacture 105,000 cars in 2011 and to reach the design capacity
of 150,000 cars in 2012.
-0-bur/kud