Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 23, 2026

Tenet (marque)

Tenet is an automobile manufacturer and brand that is jointly owned by Chinese company Wuhu Defetoo Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. and Russian company AGR Holding. The brand was announced in February 2025, and only operates in Russia.

Last revised
Jul 23, 2026
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≈ 3 min
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
Tenet
IndustryAutomotive industry
FoundedFebruary 2025 (2025-02)
FoundersWuhu Economic and Technological Development Zone Committee, China
HeadquartersRussia
ProductsAutomobiles
ParentDefetoo
AGR Holding
Websitehttps://tenet.ru/
Tenet T7 source ↗

Tenet is an automobile manufacturer and brand that is jointly owned by Chinese company Wuhu Defetoo Automotive Technology Co., Ltd.1 and Russian company AGR Holding.23 The brand was announced in February 2025, and only operates in Russia.4567

History

The Tenet brand was announced in February 2025 by AGR Holding.8 The company owns the former Volkswagen and Hyundai plants in Russia since 2022. Assembly of Tenet vehicles are conducted at AGR's plant in Kaluga.910 Tenet is an acronym for the phrase Take Every New Experience Together.1112

The brand is jointly owned with Wuhu Defetoo Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. (Defetoo), a Chinese automotive company and technology platform registered in Anhui province. The largest shareholder is the Wuhu Economic and Technological Development Zone Committee, and the company's management includes specialists with experience in government agencies and state-owned enterprises. Defetoo claims that it is an "absolutely independent company", there are no other brands in their portfolio besides Tenet, and they are "not connected" with Wuhu-based Chery Group, despite media speculation and the fact that all Tenet models are based on Chery models.2413 Reports suggested that the lack of transparency in the structure may be related to the inclusion of Avilon Automotive Group JSC, the parent company of AGR Holding, in the UK sanctions lists.14

In February 2025, AGR Holding presented the first images of the brand's vehicles. Serial production at the former Volkswagen plant in Kaluga began in the second quarter of 2025.4 The holding's CEO, Alexey Kalitsev, said in an interview with Kommersant that a transition from semi-knocked-down (SKD) to completely-knocked-down (CKD) assembly is planned for mid-2025.3

In the same month, a signed technological partnership between AGR Holding and Defetoo was announced. The parties agreed to organize the production of Tenet cars on a modular platform with a gradual increase in the share of Russian components.15 As part of the agreement, it is also planned to create a major R&D center starting in 2025.3

Starting 2026, Tenet will release its "Tenet Plus" models, which are rebadged Lepas vehicles.16

Products

The first model of the Tenet brand was the T7 crossover, based on the Chery Tiggo 7L.13 Defetoo also presented plans to introduce four models,417 mainly in the SUV segment.4

At the end of August 2025, the T4 crossover (a localized version of the Tiggo 4) was introduced.18 In September 2025, sales of the seven-seater Tenet T8 began. It is a localized version of the Chery Tiggo 8.19

  • Tenet T4
    Tenet T4
  • Tenet T7
    Tenet T7
  • Tenet T8
    Tenet T8
See also

See also

References

References

  1. "Wuhu Defitu Automotive Technology Co., Ltd".
  2. "Defetoo идет в РФ: автогигант из КНР помогает перезапустить экс-завод Volkswagen". Российская газета (in Russian). 2025-04-07. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  3. "«Автомобили Tenet будут глубоко локализованными»". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  4. "В России появилась таинственная автокомпания Tenet. Что она предложит и по какой цене". Газета.Ru (in Russian). 2025-06-19. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  5. "«Автомобильный завод АГР» запускает новый бренд TENET". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 2025-02-12. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  6. "В России появился новый автомобильный бренд Tenet: под ним будут выпускать кроссоверы Chery – фото и подробности" (in Russian).
  7. "Группа "АГР", выпускающая Solaris, анонсировала новый бренд Tenet". Российская газета (in Russian). 2025-02-12. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  8. "В России появится новый автомобильный бренд. При чем тут Кристофер Нолан :". Autonews (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  9. "На российском рынке появится новая автомобильная марка | Статьи FAVORIT MOTORS". favorit-motors.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  10. "Chery будет развивать в России новый автомобильный бренд Tenet". Rozetked.me (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  11. "Опубликовано фото автомобиля нового российского бренда Tenet". РИА Новости. 2025-02-21.
  12. "ООО «ТЕНЕТ»". РБК Компании (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  13. "Прощаемся с Chery? Автомобили китайской компании будут продавать в России под новой маркой Tenet". iXBT.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  14. Asia, Russia's Pivot to (2025-02-23). "Ex-Volkswagen Plant To Produce Russia-China JV Tenet Branded Cars". RUSSIA'S PIVOT TO ASIA. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
  15. "Машины российского автобренда Tenet впервые сняли на фото". iz.ru (in Russian). Известия. 2025-02-20.
  16. Астапенко, Елена (2026-02-18). "Tenet Plus рассекретил внешность новинки для российского рынка - КОЛЕСА.ру – автомобильный журнал". Автомобильный журнал «КОЛЕСА.РУ» (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-04-03.
  17. "До 200 тыс. машин. Tenet анонсировал производство 4 кроссоверов в России :". Autonews (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  18. Новиков, Дмитрий (2025-08-27). "Россиян пытаются запутать: дилеры подсовывают старый кроссовер под видом нового". speedme.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  19. Никита Ефименков (2025-09-12). "В РФ официально начались продажи нового Tenet T8". 32CARS.RU (in Russian).