General Motors on Wednesday announced plans to largely withdraw from the Russian market by the end of the year, becoming the most prominent company to date to express a lack of confidence in the deeply troubled economy. The move reverses years of G.M. investments in Russia , where car sales had boomed. Now, however, the country is struggling with low oil prices and sanctions on its banks, and its economy is expected to contract 4 percent this year. “This decision avoids significant investment into a market that has very challenging long-term prospects,” G.M.’s president, Daniel Ammann, said in a statement. Since Russia annexed Crimea last year and its economy has faltered, other multinational companies have left. G.M. said it would shutter its main factory in the country and wind down sales of Opel brand cars. The decision, the company said, will cost $600 million this year in […]