Key Takeaways:
- Avtozavod Saint Petersburg will suspend Lada Iskra assembly from 31 December to 11 January for the New Year holidays.
- The plant began Lada Iskra production in September under a PMEF-2025 agreement and may produce up to 4,000 units by the end of 2025.
- The factory has shifted ownership from Nissan to state and AvtoVAZ interests and previously assembled Xcite and Lada X-Cross models.
Avtozavod Saint Petersburg will pause assembly of Lada Iskra cars for the New Year period, the company confirmed on 30 December. Production will be stopped from 31 December until 11 January as the plant observes the full January holiday schedule.
Avtozavod Saint Petersburg: production history and recent models
The plant, formerly a Nissan facility, resumed activity under new arrangements after the Japanese company withdrew from Russia. In September it began series production of the Lada Iskra brand following an agreement signed at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2025. The factory is scheduled to produce all versions of the Iskra family, including sedan, estate and SW Cross variants with manual and automatic transmissions. Company sources say the site could assemble up to 4,000 Lada Iskra vehicles by the end of 2025.
The temporary suspension comes at a time when the facility has already hosted a number of different production programmes. In summer 2023, AvtoVAZ acted as a manufacturing partner for the site, starting large‑module assembly of Lada models. The first output in that phase was the front‑wheel drive X-Cross 5, based on the FAW Bestune T77. That partnership with Chinese FAW later ended, and production of those units ceased.
In March 2024 the factory launched a new line under the Xcite brand, with sales beginning in Russia in late spring. The medium sized X‑Cross 7 closely matched the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro in design and specifications, and later the X‑Cross 8 was added to the range. Avtozavod Saint Petersburg reported approximately 20,000 Xcite vehicles assembled during 2024. In September the company’s general director, Ivan Mironov, announced a pause in Xcite assembly as the plant reoriented its operations.
Ownership of the site has passed through several hands since Nissan’s departure in 2022. The factory was transferred at nominal cost to a state research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with an option for Nissan to repurchase. The state entity later sold 99% of the plant to AvtoVAZ in a symbolic transaction. Current ultimate owners have not been publicly disclosed.
Company representatives told Interfax that the holiday shutdown is a standard operational pause rather than an indicator of longer term curtailment. “We will observe the entire January holiday period,” a press office official said. The break will allow the plant to complete year‑end processes and prepare for the next production cycle in mid‑January.
Market analysts say brief seasonal stoppages are common in the Russian automotive sector and do not necessarily signal major shifts in output plans. Nevertheless, the plant’s evolving model roster and changes in industrial partnerships will remain under close watch. The site’s ability to transition between international platforms and domestic brands will be a key factor in how quickly it can scale production in 2025.
As Avtozavod Saint Petersburg pauses assembly for the holidays, industry observers will track whether the facility resumes full operations on schedule and how its Lada Iskra programme develops against the target of several thousand units by year end 2025.
