Russia’s Irbit Motorcycle Plant, the maker of Ural sidecar motorcycles, has shifted production to China after sanctions, supply disruptions and trade barriers undercut its export-driven business, according to The Moscow Times on January 28.
The factory, described as Russia’s only producer of heavy motorcycles with sidecars, had already moved much of its assembly from Sverdlovsk region to Kazakhstan in 2022 to keep access to imported components after foreign sanctions, with executives saying foreign parts typically made up about 70% of a Ural’s bill of materials.
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The Russian Ural motorcycle, inspired by the WWII-era BMW R71, is a rugged, sidecar-equipped bike known for its durability and off-road capability.
Built in the Ural Mountains, it retains a vintage Soviet look with modern updates, making it popular among adventure and military enthusiasts.
The outlet said that the company’s sales before the war were concentrated abroad, with about 40% in the US, 30% in Europe and more than 25% in Asia, while logistics costs rose sharply after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It also said the Irbit shop floor steadily contracted, and that by 2024 only two assemblers remained in the Russian facility, while the Kazakhstan operation was producing up to 300 motorcycles a month before new US trade measures hit.
The turning point, the reports said, came after the Trump administration set a 25% US tariff rate for goods from Kazakhstan, making exports from the Kazakhstan assembly base less viable.
In 2016, the company publicly said it took pride in resisting what it called “universal sinicization,” but now the plant has followed a route taken by many Russian vehicle makers since 2022, shifting production and supply chains toward China.
Earlier, it was reported that China has significantly increased prices on export‑controlled goods supplied to Russia’s defense industry—reflecting Moscow’s dependence on Chinese components amid sanctions and affecting Russia’s wartime production economics.
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