Serial production of the Tenet A8 business saloon has started at a factory in Saint Petersburg

The sales launch date and prices of the forthcoming four-door newcomer, intended for the Russian market, will be announced later.

The brand named Tenet appeared on the Russian automotive market in February 2025, and is one of the outcomes of the partnership between the Russian holding company 'AGR' and the Chinese firm Defetoo. The current model line-up includes only crossovers with the indices T4, T4L, T7 and T8, with their production established at the facilities in Grabtsovo near Kaluga, which previously belonged to the VW Group. A couple of weeks ago, Tenet announced a new model for the Russian market – this time a business saloon.

The forthcoming four-door has been named the Tenet A8 (hello, Audi!), and interestingly, its place of origin differs from its 'brothers' in the model range. The brand's press office today, 21 July 2026, announced the start of full-cycle series production of the saloon – including welding, painting and assembly. Production has been set up at the plant in Shushary (St Petersburg), which was previously owned by GM and Hyundai, and is now owned by the 'AGR' holding company.

Similar to other models of the 'local' brand, the Tenet A8 has a 'twin': this role is filled by a saloon sold in China under the name Chery Arrizo 8 Pro. It appeared on the domestic market in spring 2025, with its sporty version following in June of the same year. Incidentally, the Russian model line-up of this brand currently only features the pre-facelift version of the Arrizo 8 (which arrived here in 2023).

It is known that the overall length of the Tenet A8 is 4757 mm, the width is 1832 mm, the height is 1469 mm, and the wheelbase is 2770 mm. For comparison, the current Korean business saloon Kia K5 has a length of 4905 mm and a wheelbase of 2850 mm. It is known that the forthcoming local newcomer will come with a winter package, including heated seats for all passengers and a heated steering wheel, as well as a heated windscreen and windscreen washer jets. Additionally, the underbody and hidden cavities will be treated with wax, and anti-corrosion materials will be applied.

As previously reported by Kolesa.ru, the business saloon will be available on the Russian market with two engine options. The 'junior' role is played by a 1.6-litre petrol turbo engine producing 150 hp, with a maximum torque of 275 Nm. It is paired with a seven-speed robotic gearbox, and this four-door takes 9.9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h.

The 'senior' role, meanwhile, is assigned to a 2.0-litre petrol turbo engine, with a maximum power output of 197 hp and torque of 375 Nm. It comes with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. This business saloon takes exactly 9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h.

The model's equipment list includes: a 10.25-inch virtual instrument cluster, a 15.6-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system, a panoramic roof, front seats with heating, ventilation, electric adjustment and memory function, and a Sony sound system. In addition, second-row passengers have access to separate climate control vents, a central armrest and USB ports.

Further information regarding the sales launch date, trim levels and prices of the Tenet A8 business saloon will be released in due course.