DaimlerChrysler May Open Russia Plant

German-US auto giant DaimlerChrysler said it was considering opening a production site in Russia that would serve the Russian market. "We're looking at different options for different sites and with different partners" in Russia, a company spokesman said, partially confirming a newspaper report that DaimlerChrysler was planning to build its first Russian factory. In particular, the German-US giant is examining possible joint projects in the area of commercial vehicles. However, talks were still "at a very early stage," the spokesman added. A report in the Monday edition of the business daily Handelsblatt said DaimlerChrysler was considering building a facility that would assemble so-called completely knocked-down (CKD) parts shipped from production plants outside of Russia and the carmaker had already acquired a piece of land near St. Petersburg.