In a different direction: the revived brand of Soviet cars may take on an unexpected appearance

The revived Volga car brand in Russia may change its partner. Despite the imminent start of mass production of Volga machines announced in May last year, production has not yet begun. In any case, the creation of a new Russian car brand in the current conditions is impossible without the participation of Chinese companies, experts say. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

The steering wheel will be updated along with the car

The project of reviving the Volga car brand in Russia may change its partner. This was reported by the Telegram channel "Russian Automobile etc", citing its own sources. According to an insider, the new Volga is being created in collaboration with Geely.

"Volga's office will open in Moscow very soon, and people have already been recruited. Accordingly, the presentation of the project is just around the corner," the message says.

This information was indirectly confirmed by Izvestia's source in the automotive business, noting that "the company in Nizhny Novgorod has been cooperating with a new partner for a long time."

Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov

Denis Manturov, who headed the Ministry of Industry and Trade at the time, announced for the first time the revival of production of cars under the Volga brand in 2022 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The first "live" Volga cars (two crossovers and a sedan) were shown to a government delegation led by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin at the Digital Industry of Industrial Russia exhibition in May last year. The Prime Minister noted at the time that the cars looked modern, but pointed out the need for their localization.

"Where did you make the steering wheel, Chinese? I want the steering wheel to be Russian. It's not as difficult as localizing the box and all the other elements," Mikhail Mishustin said during an introduction to the Volga.

Now, apparently, the steering wheel will be updated, but along with the car itself.

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The lower one remains

During last year's exhibition, the serial production of the revived Volga was announced by the end of 2024, and this year it was planned to start their full-cycle production. However, these machines have not yet appeared on the assembly line. At the same time, at the end of last year and at the beginning of this year, the press service of JSC "Production of Passenger Cars" noted that it was continuing to work on the project.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov

When asked by Izvestia about cooperation with Volga, Geely's Russian office replied that "we cannot comment on rumors," stressing that "Geely continues to operate in the Russian market." The press service of JSC "Production of Passenger Cars", which is engaged in the project of the revived Volga, declined to comment on the partnership with Geely.

At the same time, indirect signs indicate that the project for the new Volga continues to exist. In August, Nizhny Novgorod Passenger Cars began searching for an employee for the position of new product launch manager. Among the requirements for the applicant is a good knowledge of English, which will be needed to communicate with international partners and colleagues. Additionally, "excellent written and oral communication skills are required to interact with internal development teams, designers, marketers, and management." What does NLA have to do with it? According to the Ru-Center portal, she owns the domain on which the address of the press service of JSC "Production of passenger cars" is registered. Thus, it is possible to notice a certain connection between the two companies.

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"Volga" from the banks of the Yangtze

The three Volga cars presented last year were based on the Chinese Changan sedan Raeton Plus, as well as the Oshan X5 Plus crossovers (a sub—brand of Changan) and Oshan Z6. The press service of JSC "Production of passenger cars" noted that the cars are equipped with gasoline engines with a capacity of 188 hp in combination with an automatic transmission. The cars are also equipped with "intelligent driver assistance systems," and domestic services "popular with Russian car owners" are integrated into the multimedia system of the cars, the company emphasized.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov

Taking into account the current situation in the Russian automotive industry, the appearance of a revived Volga, like any other new domestic car brand, is possible only in close cooperation with Chinese companies, says Igor Morzharetto, partner at the Autostat analytical agency. At the same time, as practice shows, even the revival of the traditional Soviet name of the car does not guarantee its success with consumers.

— There is an example of the same "Moskvich", which has not become truly widespread in almost three years. If we assume that the main model for the future Volga will still be some kind of Geely model, then the most logical option for this is the Monjaro crossover. The car is very popular in our country and its characteristics fully correspond to the status and image that would best suit the Volga brand," Igor Morzharetto told Izvestia.

The Volga has always been a status car in the USSR, so when reviving the brand, it must match its historical appearance, says Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine.

"If we assume that Geely will be a partner in the project, then the most logical contenders for the role of the new Volga are the Preface sedan and the Monjaro crossover," he believes.