One possible location for the plant would be at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association, which exports aircraft through Rosoboronexport, a company under the umbrella of state corporation Russian Technologies.
AvtoVAZ is also controlled by Russian Technologies, which is headed by Sergei Chemezov, a close ally of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
In March, Renault bought a 25 percent stake in AvtoVAZ for about $1 billion in a strategic partnership deal that gave the French carmaker three seats on AvtoVAZ's board of directors and key management posts in the company.
Nissan and Renault have cross-shareholdings and are both managed by the same chief executive, Carlos Ghosn.
A joint plant that produces Nissan cars in the Far East would expand the global partnership and give it an edge in the Far East, from where it could export cars to Asian markets.
AvtoVAZ president Boris Alyoshin said in May that the Tolyatti-based carmaker would consider assembling Nissan cars at the Asia-Avto plant in Kazakhstan. AvtoVAZ expects to purchase the plant by year's end, Alyoshin said Wednesday at a Moscow auto show.
A spokesman for AvtoVAZ declined to comment Thursday.
No one at Nissan's Moscow office was available for comment, and e-mailed questions were not answered.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.