"I want the steering wheel to be Russian. It's not that difficult." The new Volga was presented in Nizhny Novgorod. Mishustin criticized it for its Chinese steering wheel

In Nizhny Novgorod, at the exhibition “Digital Industry of Industrial Russia,” the new line of Volga cars was presented for the first time, RIA Novosti reports .

The cars will be released in three classes: Volga C40 - class D sedan, Volga K30 - class C crossover, Volga K40 - class D crossover.

As the agency notes, the production of cars will begin in 2024, and from 2025 - in full-cycle mode at the site of the Nizhny Novgorod automobile cluster.

The brand's stand was visited by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The Prime Minister criticized the insufficient level of localization of the production of the new Volga, writes RBC.

"Where is your steering wheel made? Chinese? I want the steering wheel to be Russian. It's not as difficult as localizing the gearbox and all the other elements," Mishustin said after sitting in the car. He also noted that the car "looks modern."

• With the outbreak of war in Ukraine, many international automakers halted production in Russia and stopped importing cars into the country. After that, Russian authorities announced plans to revive the Moskvich, Volga, and Pobeda car brands. Soon, the Moskvich plant restarted serial production of passenger cars.