On your own territory: what is interesting about the new Russian brand

The share of Russian-built cars has already exceeded 60% of total sales. New local production facilities are being built in place of sites previously owned by foreign corporations. The number of players is increasing, so, in the spring of this year, production of new brand Jeland cars began in Shushary at a former American factory. Izvestia investigated whether the newcomer would be able to change the balance of power in the market thanks to local production.

A factory with a difficult fate

Jeland is the result of a strategic partnership between AGR Holding and Defetoo, which was able to create a new high—tech production facility in Shushary in a short time, designed to produce 100,000 modern cars per year. In just eight months, the difficult task of fully retrofitting and launching the idle enterprise was solved.

The Shusharakh plant near St. Petersburg is a site with a complicated history, it was built by the American concern General Motors and was mothballed 11 years ago.

In 2020, it was acquired by the South Korean Hyundai plant, but production has not started. The factory came to life under the new owner, the first body was welded in March, and now every three minutes a shiny car rolls off its assembly line. The highly automated line allows for precise assembly and high-quality painting at high production volumes.

The whole philosophy

There is a whole philosophy built under the Jeland brand. As the representatives of the brand explain, three key concepts are encoded in the name — Journey (journey), Emotions (emotions) and Land (your territory). The first reflects readiness for new routes, the second fills trips with personal meaning, and the third symbolizes one's own territory, where a person chooses his own path.

"Each of us is on an eternal journey through time and horizons, the landscapes of our native land and the depths of our own soul," says Jeland.

Travel Club

The Jeland J6 is an analog of the Jaecoo J6 crossover, which entered the Russian market this spring and became the brand's sales driver. This is the most affordable and compact model in the line designed for Russian conditions — 80% of the body parts are galvanized, the bottom and hidden cavities of the body are waxed. In addition, additional layers of anti-corrosion materials are also applied to the body, and the thickness of the paint layer is increased. All these measures increase the machine's resistance to harsh winters, with reagents and temperature fluctuations. The full winter package, including heated windshield and washer nozzles, ensures comfort for the driver and passengers.

The J6 runs the risk of being liked by those who have a pet — the list of branded accessories includes a bowl, a carrier, a ladder and a net separating the trunk from the cabin. But most importantly, the interior trim materials are safe for animals and do not suffer from their claws.

Among the options, there is even a certified tow bar, with which you can pull a trailer weighing up to 750 kg, which is rare in the class of small crossovers.

A modern turbo engine paired with a robotic transmission provides good dynamics and is economical when traveling around the city. Moreover, the engine digests 92nd gasoline without any problems.

It is also important that the J6 with its puffy bumpers, wide wheels and the exterior of an SUV looks more impressive than its classmates. Today, the car is available in front-wheel drive, although sales of the all-wheel drive version should start just a few days ago.

Those who do not travel and have not yet got a pet, the J6 may be interested in the price. However, it should be understood that the base price tag of 2.3 million rubles was obtained by excluding various options. So, the initial version has only two audio speakers, a modest multimedia system display and air conditioning instead of climate control.

There are bigger ones

The Jeland J7 crossover, an analog of the Jaecoo J7, which recently entered the assembly line at the Shushary plant, is made in the same style. It already offers an all-wheel drive version. However, it can also be ordered with front-wheel drive.

It is a larger (4.6 m), more powerful (186 hp) car and more expensive. But already in the basic equipment, the J7 offers six airbags, dual-zone climate control and 18-inch wheels. Plus a full winter package.

Taking into account Russian conditions, the flagship J8 model, an analog of the Jaecoo J8, has also been created, and it will be launched this year.

The car features a higher level of equipment — 20-inch wheels, genuine leather seat upholstery, and a premium audio system with 14 speakers. A suspension with adaptive shock absorbers is responsible for comfort, and in difficult situations, a 210 mm ground clearance and an intelligent all-wheel drive system with thrust vector control will help. Prices for the car have not yet been announced, but it can be assumed that a large and richly equipped crossover will have a corresponding price tag.

All three models will be immediately produced in a full cycle with welding and painting, as well as with a gradual increase in localization. They will form the so-called J—line - cars with a distinctive off-road appearance, designed for travel and light off-road driving.

Unfortunately, the choice of body colors is still modest: mostly white, gray and black cars come off the assembly line.

Urban flowers

The development of the Jeland brand will not be limited to this — a C-line is being prepared, consisting of urban models aimed at those who appreciate style, technology and dynamics. It is no coincidence that VK Fest in St. Petersburg was chosen for the premiere of the firstborn of this family, the fastback crossover C5, an analog of the Omoda C5.

Later, this model will be joined by a larger C7 crossover, also an Omoda analog. These bright-looking models will already require a brighter palette of body colors.

Success factors

How well the new Jeland brand will fit into a highly competitive environment will be shown by the first sales and owner reviews. We can already say that it has all the ingredients to change the balance of power in the market. The foundation, in the form of localized production, has been laid.

As Roman Shchukin, radio host of Moscow FM, noted, proven cars, proven technologies and a full production cycle are important for the market today — and this is exactly the formula that the new brand offers.

Igor Morzharetto, an auto expert, considers the prospects of the new brand to be good, as it has a serious technology partner behind it.

— I judge by the rather successful Tenet brand — it went well. The same applies to the Jeland, people understand that these are interesting and reliable cars," he said.

The economy benefits

In addition to the customer who receives a Russian—made car, the economy also benefits - partnerships like AGR and Defetoo make it possible to restart idle car production facilities and create high-tech factories in their place.

The restoration of previously idle industrial facilities creates new jobs and promotes the development of related industries, from component manufacturing to logistics and after—sales services.

Experts who visited the production in Shushary agree that the speed with which it was possible to launch the production of cars at the site in Shushary — just over a year from the start of modernization to the start of the plant — indicates the seriousness of the intentions of the project participants.

"You can see what resources were invested in this plant, because, to be honest, it was scary to look at the photos of what happened to it a year ago. Complete devastation, and today it is a completely new high—tech factory that will produce new cars," Roman Shchukin shared.

Alexey Kharnas, editor-in-chief of Expert magazine, expressed similar impressions of visiting the plant.

— To be honest, you don't expect to see such a factory with clean workshops. I know that it was built literally from scratch. There was an abandoned area that had stood untouched for many years," he said.

The driving force of the market

In addition, localized vehicles are becoming the "mover" of the market. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, sales of new vehicles manufactured in the Russian Federation increased by 29.3% in six months, to 431 thousand units. Their share in the total market volume increased to 63.4% in the first half of the year, by more than 8% compared to the same period last year.

The total sales volume in January-June reached 679.8 thousand vehicles, which is 12% more than in the same period last year.