Hyundai Begins Producing Cars at its New Russian Plant

Hyundai is continuing its ambitious plan to further increase global sales with the start of production at its first factory in Russia located at Saint Petersburg. The company’s sixth newest overseas assembly plant will make the Solaris, a subcompact sedan we will come to know as the new Accent.

“This is a historic moment, not only for Hyundai, but for Russia, as we are the first foreign automaker to operate a full-cycle manufacturing plant here,” said Gui-Il Chun, General Director of HMMR, a fully-owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company. “We are now truly part of Russia and we will focus on supplying customers with the best products at the best time.”

The Korean firm's Saint Petersburg factory currently employees more than 1,300 workers, but Hyundai has stated that it aims to create some 5,300 jobs by 2012, together with eleven parts suppliers. The plant’s annual capacity is said to be around 150,000 vehicles, while this year’s production target is 105,000 units.

The plant's first car, the Solaris, will be offered with a four-cylinder gasoline engine available in 1.4- and 1.6-liter displacements. Hyundai said the subcomact sedan has been adapted to cope with Russia’s vicious weather and tough road conditions. Aside from raising the car's ground clearance to 160mm, the company's engineers also added a large four-liter washer fluid reservoir with fluid-level sensor to warn drivers when a refill is required, a more robust 60Ah battery for improved cold-start performance and a heater duct for rear-seat passengers.

FAIL: Dump Truck Goes Underwater, Driver Narrowly Escapes [Video]

Operating heavy machinery near a muddy riverbank can be very hazardous, as this video demonstrates. A mud water-trapped Russian dump truck was just about to be pulled clear by a bulldozer, when it seems that the towing cable snapped, causing it to go underwater in less than 5 seconds. We’d say it’s quite a miracle that the driver made it out of the cabin and the presumably cold waters. Watch the clip after the break.

Russia's Topcar Continues Porsche Cayenne Tune with Vantage 2

It's only been a few weeks since Topcar presented its most recent Porsche Cayenne package called the Vantage GTR2, yet the Russian firm has launched another tuning proposal for the second generation of the German automaker's luxury SUV. The new package is named Vantage 2 and it comes with a wide body kit and a choice of performance upgrades.

On the styling front, the Russian tuner offers a carbon fiber aero kit, which adds a new front bumper with LED daytime lights, beefy side skirts, wheel arch extensions, a concave roof spoiler and a redesigned rear bumper with a diffuser. The carbon fiber mirror housings and newly designed hood with air vents, along with a choice of two different styles for the chunky alloy wheels complete the look.

Topcar can also upgrade the Cayenne's interior with hand crafted leather and special trims.

As for the performance enhancements, the Russian company said it offers a variety of tunes that can push output up to 750-horsepower.

Porsche Cayenne Modded by Russia's Status Design

Sometimes, in their attempt to create a proposal uniquely different, tuners go overboard, way overboard. Such seems to be the case with Russian tuner, Status Design and their Porsche Cayenne project that is still in the works. For now, we've only got a trio of renderings to go by, but the aesthetic result is not what we'd call promising. The Russian tuner proposes a 'Fast and Furious' style full bodykit with a completely new front nose, side skirts and even C-pillar wings rounded off by a new set of alloy wheels and two-tone paint schemes. Hit the jump to check out the rest of the pics.

Via: Carmod