Russian carmaker Moskvich agrees first major supply deal with taxi firm

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Days after relaunching car production under the Soviet-era Moskvich brand, the government-owned automaker has agreed to supply Russian taxi firm Citymobil with 2,000 cars next year, in what would be the first major deal for the revived car.

The Moskvich is produced at a plant taken over from French carmaker Renault, with a new, modern Chinese design that barely resembles its Soviet-era classic version.

People and People, the company that runs Citymobil, said on Wednesday that a tentative agreement had been reached for purchasing petrol petrol cars from Moskvich.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

With just 600 vehicles slated for production this year, the Moskvich is unlikely to change the gloomy outlook for Russia’s wider car industry, where annual sales this year could crash below 1 million for the first time in the country’s modern history.

The government ultimately aims to produce 100,000 Moskvich vehicles a year, some of which will be electric.

The new Moskvich 3 is thought to be identical to the Sehol X4 compact crossover made by Chinese automaker JAC Motors, and will be assembled in Russia using parts imported from China.

(Reporting by Reuters. Editing by Jane Merriman)