Toyota Motor Corp. plans to open official dealers in the Far Eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and Nakhodka for summer 2012, as reported by the president of Toyota Motors Russia, Takeshi Isogaya in a statement to the press.
Dealers are located in big cities already receiving Japanese investment. Toyota currently has three service centers in these cities, which will become official dealers and begin to market the Nippon brand vehicles.
Toyota estimated combined sales of 100 new vehicles per month from the three new dealers. This higher figure than the average sales of other Toyota dealers in Russia. The dealers in Moscow and St. Petersburg, for example, sold together between 70 and 80 vehicles per month.
The decision to create new dealers came a month after news of the joint venture between Toyota Motor Corp., Mitsui & Co. and Sollers to bring the production of some parts of Toyota vehicles to Vladivostok. The production plant will be Toyota’s second in Russia.
Toyota will supply its new parts needed to build the Land Cruiser Prado SUV, which will be sold through Toyota distribution network in Russia. The company formed by the joint venture will be called OOO Sollers-Bussan which plans to begin production in spring 2012.