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Ukraine invasion: How car makers have reacted

By Tom Gibson | March 3, 2022

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The automotive industry has started to take its own actions against Russia to help deter them from their ongoing military action – all of this despite Russia being the eighth biggest automotive market in the world, out selling the UK, France and Canada.

Ukraine invasion: How car makers have reacted

Here’s what we know from each so far.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)

JLR has completely stopped all deliveries to Russia with sanctions imposed by the UK, EU and USA making it increasingly difficult for non-Russian firms to sell cars in the country.

The British firm has said its priority is "the wellbeing of our entire workforce and their families, as well as those within our extended network.”

It went on to say, "The current global context also presents us with trading challenges, so we're pausing the delivery of vehicles into the Russian market and continually monitoring the situation on behalf of our global customer base."

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz will donate €1 million (£833,690) to support Ukrainians.

“As an immediate emergency measure, we're donating one million euros to Deutsches Rotes Kreuz eV (Red Cross) for their help for Ukraine,” said CEO Ola Källenius.

Renault

Renault shares have dropped by around 25% since the start of February with a large percentage of that coming after the Russian invasion. The French group owns Russian manufacturer Avtovaz, which suspended assembly lines last week at its Russian factory due to parts shortages. 

Renault has previously closed its factory in Moscow because of supply problems. The facility produces models including the Arkana and Captur crossovers. 

Stellantis (Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Jeep & more)

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has said that any decision on how the firm will alter its operations in Russia "depends very much on what the politicians are going to decide".

"We're expected to be a compliant corporation,” Tavares said. “We comply with the rules, laws and regulations in peacetime and we comply with sanctions in wartime."

Volkswagen Group

The Volkswagen Group will also donate €1m (£833,690), this time to refugee charity Unoflucht.

In a post on social media, VW said, “We at VW Group are very concerned about the current situation in Ukraine. The Group board of management decided that the Group and its brands will donate one million euros to its long-standing partner Unoflucht. The Volkswagen Group views the Russian attack on Ukraine with great concern and dismay. We're convinced that a sustainable solution to the conflict can only take place on the basis of international law. Our thoughts are with all people on site. The safety and integrity of everybody, including our employees, is top priority.” 

The specific Volkswagen brand, that lies underneath Volkswagen Group, has paused deliveries of cars to local dealerships in Russia, due to supply chain issues exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Production will be halted for “several days” this week at two factories in Volkswagen’s home country of Germany, because required parts haven't been made in Ukraine. 

Skoda

Skoda, which is also owned by Volkswagen Group, will also be making a sizeable donation of €400,000 (£333,390) to the charity People in Need. The Czech firm has around 600 employees in Ukraine and produces vehicles.

In a statement, Skoda said, “’Human’ is one of our company’s brand values. Now it’s more important than ever to put this value into action. Join us in making a contribution and supporting those who need our help.

"Due to the current situation in Ukraine, Skoda Auto is facing critical supply shortages of parts from several local suppliers that have an effect on some of our models. This is the reason why we will limit production of the Enyaq iV from this week on.

"The sales strategy in Russia and Ukraine is currently the subject of intensive discussions. Sales in both Ukraine and Russia can be expected to fall in view of recent developments.”

Russia was Skoda’s second-biggest market in 2021, taking delivery of around 90,000 vehicles. 

Volvo

Volvo was one of the first to take action, suspending car shipments to Russia until further notice.

Volvo said because of "potential risks associated with trading material with Russia, including the sanctions imposed by the EU and US,” it had made the decision.

The Swedish firm sold around 9,000 cars in Russia in 2021, these coming to the country from factories in Sweden, China and the US. 

Toyota

Toyota has lost 13,000 cars' worth of output following a cyber attack that targeted one of its suppliers of plastic and electrical components, according to Reuters. The loss is widely expected to be a direct result of Russian interference.

Hyundai 

Hyundai has stopped production at its St Petersburg plant in Russia for five days although it claims this is not as a result of the Russian invasion. “The plant will be shut down temporarily, due to supply disruption caused by a semiconductor shortage.“ an official said. 

General Motors

The American firm, which sells around 3,000 vehicles in Russia annually, told Reuters it will stop all exports to the country, saying: "Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine at this time. The loss of life is a tragedy, and our overriding concern is for the safety of people in the region."

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