Mazda, Russia sign deal to produce cars in Far East

The Mainichi Daily News (Moscow) - Mazda Motor Corp. has signed an agreement with the Russian Ministry of Economic Development to build a car assembly plant in the Russian Far East, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday, quoting a senior ministry official.

The Japanese automaker plans to assemble 25,000-50,000 units of the Mazda6 sedan each year at the $80 million (6.4 billion yen) plant in the Pacific Maritime region, the news agency said. The midsize sedan is known as the Atenza in Japan.

A Mazda spokesman commented on the report, "It is a fact that we are considering producing vehicles in Russia. We will announce details at a later date."

In January, Mazda representatives held talks with Sergei Darkin, governor of the region to study the feasibility of manufacturing vehicles there.