AvtoVAZ is a Russian automobile manufacturing company founded in 1966. It was formerly named as VAZ, an acronym for Volga Automotive Plant in Russian. AvtoVAZ is best known for its flagship series of Lada vehicles. In the Soviet Union, its products used various names, including Zhiguli, Oka, and Sputnik, which were phased out in the 1990s and replaced by Lada for the Russian market. From December 2019 to August 2020, AvtoVAZ sold Niva cars with Chevrolet branding.
The Lada Niva Legend, formerly called the Lada Niva, VAZ-2121, and Lada 4×4, is a series of exclusively 4WD, small (hatchback) and compact (cross-over) SUVs, designed and produced by the Russian manufacturer AvtoVAZ since 1977 – initially for the rural market, but later models also aimed at urban users. Sold as the marque name Lada in many markets, the 3-door, 4x4 hatchback is continuously built since 1977.
From the 1990s, three- and five-door wagons on a 50 cm (20 in) longer wheelbase, and an extra long pick-up, were added to the range. Following the demise of the original Land Rover and Defender in 2016, the Niva is the longest-running SUV still in production in its original form. By the end of 2020, an estimated 650,000 plus Lada Nivas were on the roads of Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent (post-Soviet) States, and other countries.
Moskvitch was a Soviet/Russian automobile brand produced by AZLK from 1946 to 1991 and by OAO Moskvitch from 1991 to 2001. The current article incorporates information about both the brand and the joint-stock successor of AZLK for the sake of simplicity.
The Lada / VAZ-2105, 2104 and 2107, collectively marketed as Lada Riva for right-hand drive models, the Lada Nova in Germany, and by multiple other names and markets, are a series of compact sedans of the Zhiguli line-up, built by Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ. Introduced in 1979 in the Soviet Union, and progressively introduced to Western European and global markets from the early 1980s, under the Lada brand, they were sold as saloons, and station wagon (2104) versions.
The Moskvitch-2141, also known under the trade name Aleko, is a Russian mid-size car that was first announced in 1985 and sold in the Soviet Union and its successor states between 1986 and 1997 by the now defunct Moskvitch Company, based in Moscow, Russia. It was replaced by the modernised M-2141-02 Svyatogor and its sedan body version, the M-2142, in 1997–2003.
AZLK was a Soviet and Russian automobile manufacturer (Moscow), the maker of the Moskvitch brand.
Lada, marketed as LADA, is a brand of cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ, a Russian company owned by the French Groupe Renault. From January 2021 onwards Lada is integrated with sister brand Dacia into Renault's Lada-Dacia business unit.
GM-AvtoVAZ was a Russian joint venture between General Motors and AvtoVAZ set up in 2001. In 2002, it started producing the Chevrolet Niva, based on the Lada Niva, at its Tolyatti plant. Though both companies had an equal share of ownership, the venture was managed exclusively by General Motors. The venture ended in December 2019, after it was wholly acquired by AvtoVAZ.
The automotive industry in the Soviet Union spanned the history of the state from 1929 to 1991. It started with the establishment of large car manufacturing plants and reorganisation of the AMO Factory in Moscow in the late 1920s–early 1930s, during the first five-year plan, and continued until the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991.
The Moskvitch 412 is a large family car produced by Soviet/Russian manufacturer MZMA/AZLK in Moscow from 1967 to 1975, and by IZh in Izhevsk from 1967 to 1982. It was a more powerful and prestigious version of the M-408 model, offering more features for a higher price.
Moskvitch 2140 series is large family car produced by Soviet automotive maker AZLK from January 1976 to 1988. It started first as Moskvitch 2138 and Moskvitch 2140 on a modified 412 platform. Pre-production models were shown during 1975. Starting in 1981, the modernised modification of the M-2140 export/luxury model was also designed and branded "2140 SL" in the Eastern Bloc countries and "1500 SL" outside. The most notable differences between the two models were redesigned dashboard and front seat headrests in the M-2140.
A standardized automobile model numbering system has been used in the Soviet Union and Russia. Using the modern version of the system it is possible to determine a vehicle's type and engine capacity. The modern version of the numbering system was introduced in the mid-1970s. A similar system is used in the People's Republic of China.
The Moskvitch was a 20th-century Soviet/Bulgarian passenger car. Between 1966 and 1990, the Balkan factory in Lovech, Bulgaria, assembled the Soviet-designed Moskvitch 408 from complete knock down (CKD) kits.
The IZh 2125 "Kombi" is a large family car produced by the Soviet car manufacturer IZh from 1973 to 1997. It was based on an Izhevsk-modified Moskvitch 412, with the first prototype released in 1966 as a small family car. It was considered to be the first Soviet hatchback, though the car actually possesses a station wagon body wherein the "D" pillar has its own support and does not gain from weight reduction. In Russian literature the car is referred to as a liftback; if its true, then Iz-2125 is the world's first liftback to be produced in very-large quantity. For the same reason, the car was given the "Kombi" nickname, which in a way alludes to the Combi coupé.
Izh 2126, nicknamed "Oda", is a compact hatchback produced by the Soviet automotive maker IZh between 1990 and 2005.
Automotive production is a significant industry in Russia, directly employing around 600,000 people or 1% of the country's total workforce. Russia produced 1,767,674 vehicles in 2018, ranking 13th among car-producing nations in 2018, and accounting for 1.8% of the worldwide production. The main local brands are light vehicle producers AvtoVAZ and GAZ, while KamAZ is the leading heavy vehicle producer. Eleven foreign carmakers have production operations or are constructing their plants in Russia.
The Lada Largus is a compact estate car built by the Russian manufacturer AvtoVAZ since 2012. It is essentially a rebadged version of the Renault-developed first generation Dacia Logan MCV and is produced as a joint project with Renault and Nissan.
Lada Izhevsk is a subsidiary of the carmaking company AvtoVAZ based in Izhevsk, Russia. It was formerly a subsidiary of Izmash under the IzhAvto brand, and manufactured both motorcycles and automobiles. The company was given its current name in 2017.
