Mitsubishi has joined other vehicle manufacturers in suspending its production and sales operations in Russia as the nation’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
“Due to the logistical difficulties, vehicle exports and parts supply to Russia have been suspended since March,” Mitsubishi said in a brief statement late last week.
It was confirmed last month that Toyota, BMW, Honda, Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen Group, Volvo, and Jaguar Land Rover were all taking actions against Russia and suspending their local operations.
Specifically, Mitsubishi will be pausing production and its Kaluga facility where it produces Pajero Sport models for the local market.
The Kaluga factory is a facility Mitsubishi co-owns with Stellantis. It’s unclear whether Stellantis will follow suit, with the manufacturing giant yet to issue comment in the wake of Mitsubishi’s decision.
Stellantis had previously indicated that it was weighing up closing the plant since it was almost out of parts due to the numerous supply shortages in the region. It had reportedly already shifted some of its production capacity from Kaluga to other factories in France and England.
Stellantis primarily uses the plant to produce vans, including the Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Traveller, and Opel Combo.
Automotive News Europe has reported that new-vehicle sales in Russia had plummeted by 63% in March. It’s the market’s ninth month of decline in a row; the sharp drop-off triggered by a drop in value of the rouble, supply shortages, and manufacturer departures.
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