ERA-GLONASS: cost of compliance pressures low-volume brands

It's crunch time for ERA-GLONASS, Russia's version of eCall. Starting in January 2017, all new vehicles will need to come equipped with the safety system, which is designed to help alert emergency services in the event of a crash. However, progress has been slow.

AvtoVAZ has begun installing the emergency system, but it's one of the few. The Lada Vesta became the first production car in Russia with it about a year ago. The new Lada XRAY crossover, which launched in February this year, also comes with ERA-GLONASS, but some concerns remain. In fact, Frank Schauff, Chief Executive of the Association of European Businesses (AEB) in Russia, flagged the launch date as one of the most pressing areas of uncertainty in the year ahead.