Spark of hope: AvtoVAZ launched production of a completely new model

Tolyatti launched the production of a new model — Lada Iskra. It will take its place between Granta and Vesta and will be offered in three versions. How much will the new Lada cost and what are its prospects, says a correspondent of Izvestia, who attended the launch of the new product.

We managed it ourselves

At the launch ceremony on April 19, the first Iskra, a red sedan and a blue station wagon, rolled off the Granta assembly line and stood in a row with the white Kopeck VAZ-2101.

As in the case of the first model of the Volga Automobile Plant, the Iskra project was not without the participation of foreigners. Initially, the new family was created on the Renault platform, but after the French automaker ceased to be a shareholder of AvtoVAZ and left the Russian market, the car had to be modified and localized by local engineers. The new product partially uses the technical solutions used on the Vesta: some elements of the chassis and braking system, electronic architecture, controls, and more.

According to Maxim Sokolov, President of AvtoVAZ, in less than three years the concern has managed to achieve 90% localization of production.

— Assemblies and components are manufactured either at the plant itself or at Russian partner enterprises. A small part comes from suppliers from sanctions—free countries," said the head of AVTOVAZ.

Anton Alikhanov, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, who was present at the launch of the new model, appreciated the work done and presented the company's employees with the Order of Alexander Nevsky and the Order of Friendship.

— AvtoVAZ has done an outstanding job: it has rebuilt its cooperative chains, localizing over 2,000 nodes and elements of the main systems. Thus, it provided an incentive for the growth of the domestic automotive component industry," said Alikhanov.

Robots will collect the novelty.

A new line with 17 automatic complexes and 112 robots has been created at the plant for welding Lada Iskra bodies.

Assembly and painting are carried out in the same workshops as Granta, which were previously upgraded to a new design. In particular, new robots for applying soil have been installed.

Lada Iskra: price, versions, engines

"The steering wheel is soft, I really liked it. It's a good car," Anton Alikhanov said, driving the Iskra along the factory test track.

Maxim Sokolov said that prices for Lada Iskra will start from 1.2 million rubles. The novelty will be offered in three versions: sedan, station wagon and elevated station wagon Cross. The ground clearance of the first two is 170 mm, and that of the "Cross" is 200 mm. The length of the sedan and station wagon is 4333 mm. This is 65 mm more than the Granta sedan and 107 mm less than the Vesta sedan. The length of the Iskra Cross wagon is 4342 mm, which is 194 mm longer than the Granta Cross and 103 mm shorter than the Vesta SW Cross.

Iskra will be equipped with 1.6-liter engines with a capacity of 90 hp (143 Nm) or 106 hp (148 Nm). In the first case, the motor is combined with a five-speed manual. A more powerful engine is aggregated by six-speed mechanics or "automatic". Only a 106-horsepower engine will be offered for the Cross station wagon.

AVTOVAZ representatives emphasized that materials with increased wear resistance were used in the lining of the instrument panel and door cards.
The steering wheel is adjustable in height and tilt angle. Depending on the configuration, the seat upholstery has a black-gray or contrasting color.
For the first time, a Lada model has implemented unlocking the fuel tank hatch from the passenger compartment with a lever to the left of the driver's seat. A low-level washer fluid sensor is also implemented.

The Iskra with a station wagon body uses a double-sided folding trunk mat that covers the seat backs during interior transformation, protecting them from contamination. A folding shelf is provided in the trunk of the station wagon.

All trim levels are equipped with at least two front airbags, front belts with pre-tensioners and force limiters, the ERA-GLONASS system, the directional stability control (ESC) system and the lifting assist function.

Will there be an Iskra Sport

As for the Lada Iskra sports version, it's too early to talk about its appearance.

— We are currently calculating the sports version only on paper. The car for the winter race is a production Iskra with elements from the racing Vesta. But we do not exclude the possibility of an Iskra Sport version," Sergey Kornienko, AvtoVAZ's head of product marketing, told Izvestia.

The Lada Iskra racing version was shown in January in the Samara region as part of the 27th "Race of Champions". The Lada Sport Rosneft factory team was involved in the construction of the car. The car was specially prepared for participation in ice races. The Iskra body was lightened and equipped with a welded safety frame. The suspension was reinforced and made more rigid. The engine capacity increased from 1.6 liters to 1.8 liters and the output increased to 173 hp and 200 Nm.

When is the start of sales and how much is planned to be released

At the start of production, only 12 cars were assembled, and before that AvtoVAZ assembled three hundred cars for testing and training of dealership employees. The start of sales is scheduled for July 20.

— It will take two to three months to fill the dealer network. The volume of production will depend on demand — we are ready to produce as much as the market demands," said Maxim Sokolov. The maximum plant in Tolyatti can produce 150 thousand tons. Lada Iskra per year.

Sergey Kornienko suggested that by the end of the year, Iskra's share in total sales could be about 5%.

"This model is positioned clearly between Granta and Vesta — both in terms of size, configuration, and price," he told Izvestia.

The new model will allow AvtoVAZ to fulfill its stated production and sales plan this year, according to Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem.

— The effect will be noticeable only in the second half of the year. After the start of Iskra sales, a certain intra—model "cannibalism" is quite likely: this car will "pinch off" some of the buyers from both Grants and Vesta, since the price will be between them," said Maxim Kadakov.