Austrian manager Siegfried Wolf seems to have big plans in Russia. After the Russian auto industry collapsed due to Western sanctions, Wolf plans billions of dollars in investments in this area – he apparently turned to Vladimir Putin personally.
“Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,” the “Mirror” quotes from a three-page letter from Wolf to the Russian president – this was written about a year after the ruthless offensive war in Ukraine began.
Russian car brand for comeback?
Wolf, who is also on the supervisory board of Porsche, explains that he wants to help rebuild the Russian car industry. There is simply a lack of quality cars “under the current difficult circumstances”. However, the investor promises that he can “solve this problem” – in particular, he wants to revive “the legendary Russian brand Volga”. He plans to use the know-how and factory facilities of the VW Group.
The German company ceased production after the outbreak of war and also withdrew from the production partnership with the Russian car manufacturer GAZ.
VW models with Russian livery
In the two factories, VW produced the Skoda models Rapid, Octavia, Kodiaq and Karoq until the exit. Wolf plans to resume production, but with Russian livery – meaning they will have a Russian design and be “completely redesigned” on the outside, he explains.
The “characteristic features” of the legendary Volga and Pobeda models should be found in the vehicles. According to Wolf, the project will be managed by the Russian company PromAvtoKonsalt, “which I own,” he clarifies.
Clear announcement – Putin must invest
The project is apparently quite expensive: Wolf asks in the letter for a loan of 60 billion rubles (about 800 million euros) – with which he wants to produce 270,000 vehicles annually. He has already received the green light from VW, as a “fundamental agreement with top management” has already been reached.
VW speaks of “irritating content”
In March, the group’s supervisory board would also “finally approve” his request. The automotive group denied that they had “no knowledge whatsoever” of this letter “and its irritating content”, VW explained to the “Spiegel”. Although Wolfs PromAvtoKonsalt was one of the potential buyers, the decision was made to sell to another bidder, they emphasize.
Porsche SE also has “no knowledge” of Wolf’s letter, they stressed – Wolf himself has yet to make a statement about it.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
