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Immigrants with a residence permit: what surprised the new products of the Moscow automobile plant
The most high—profile event in four years took place at the Moskvich automobile plant - the launch of a line of cars designed to compete with the Chinese in the mid-price segment. The Izvestia correspondent found out what the new flagships of the capital's automotive industry turned out to be, what the British have to do with them and what Opel has to do with it.
Moscow River, Thames and Huangpu
The Moscow Automobile Plant and the British MG brand are united by one reference point. In 1930, the KIM State Automobile Assembly Plant launched the assembly of cars from Ford components, and thousands of kilometers away, British entrepreneur William Morris from Oxford registered MG Car Company Limited.
The M-line logo symbolizes the battlements of the Kremlin wall, there are no nameplates with the name "Moskvich" on the crossovers.
The MG brand was created thanks to the passion of Morris' colleague, manager and car mechanic Cecil Kimber, for developing sports cars accessible to the masses. Its models became iconic, however, the brand was on the verge of closure several times and changed hands until it gained a foothold in the Chinese SAIC group in 2007.
Now the Shanghai—based automaker is the second manufacturing partner of the Moskvich plant after JAC. And MG crossovers served as the basis for the capital's enterprise to enter a new segment of the mass premium. These cars are stripped of the name of the Moscow factory and are marked with a logo with the letter "M", symbolizing the battlements of the Kremlin wall. Welcome to Russia, Morris.
The Russian palette
The youngest in the new line carries the M70 index, the oldest has the third row of seats by default and is called the M90. In its current form, both models debuted in China in 2022 and are represented on the domestic market under the Roewe brand.
The design of both crossovers reflects current Chinese trends: an aggressive recognizable front, a dynamic silhouette and minimalism in the rest. The seventieth has more black color and carbon fiber plastic at the bottom of the doors. The nineties have recessed door handles and lots of chrome elements. The plant will probably get rid of the latter with deepening localization.
The color palette of the crossovers is full of white-gray-black shades, with the exception of two: blue and red, only the M70 models are used. The marketing team tried to adapt the names of the enamels: there is Astrakhan black (no other than a reference to caviar), Karelian green, Kamchatka silver, and even Arkhangelsk white. However, for some reason the gray is Ural, not St. Petersburg.
Let's take a look at the salon. The interior gives the impression of the European car industry. The control unit for power windows and rear-view mirrors, large physical buttons, an ordinary steering wheel with a thick rim, a large transmission selector instead of a "washer" or steering lever. When every second new car tries to look like a gadget, such simple things are especially appreciated.
The M-line crossover media system uses a moderately large and readable font. The Russification of the digital interface is good, the tablet responds readily to clicks, it is difficult to get lost in the menu. But there is still work to be done on filling the dashboard: a significant part of the screen is empty, there is no option with "wells", the upper segment of the display with icons of the operating mode of the head optics overlaps the steering wheel.
The M70 has a lot of glossy black parts that will undoubtedly get scratched over time. I would like to swap the smartphone pad and cup holders, since it is not very convenient to fold the phone at the armrest, and water bottles or mini thermoses will not fit into the holders in height. Thanks for the major "emergency" in the center, but where can I change the temperature of the climate system? Ah, it's only through the screen.
There are more artificial leather and generally soft surfaces in the interior of the M90, and the podium for phones and cup holders are in place relative to the M70. The number of physical "hot" keys in the center exceeds the number of those of the younger crossover by almost half. Next to the transmission selector is a tactilely pleasant "washer" for selecting the driving electronics mode. The second row of seats moves on a "slide", the backs are easily reclined for the convenience of "baggage" passengers. There is a three-zone climate control with a separate control panel for the rear riders.
The general advantage of the second row of M-crossovers is a really large space in the leg area of the second row riders. However, there is a common drawback, which is the molding of sofas. They lack depth, they are too flat, which makes it feel like you are sitting on a school bench or in a subway car. Both models have enough steering wheel adjustment range for a comfortable landing. The front seats are comfortable, the cushion is long, and there is lateral support. The second row has a flat floor. The "younger" crossover, it turns out, has an accelerator pedal on the floor. The British sporting spirit? Let's check it out.
Motor roots
The engines of the M-line were developed by Opel in the early 1980s, they have been modernized and have passed the test of time. It's funny, but the 400th Moskvich was also based on the captured Opel Kadett. The 1.5-liter 150-horsepower turbocharged unit is installed in the base M70 and is combined with a seven-speed robotic transmission with two "wet" clutches. The two-liter 200-horsepower unit fits both models and comes in conjunction with a nine-band classic automatic.
Both versions of the M70 are single-wheel drive, although in the future the plant promises to develop a 4x4 variant. We immediately get behind the wheel of the most powerful version. The engine is well muted, however, enough road noise penetrates into the cabin. There are enough dynamics for an urban crossover: although the manufacturer does not advertise the indicators, it takes no more than eight seconds to accelerate to a hundred, according to personal feelings. The machine clearly shuffles gears, and the suspension, although comfort-oriented, does not allow for a noticeable roll. And how well the car handles! There was even some excitement on the Caucasian mountain serpentines where we conducted the tests. The crossover clearly holds the trajectory and rarely forces you to steer in turns. In the two initial settings, the steering wheel is moderately heavy, while in sport mode it is excessive.
The Moskvich M70 is equipped with 1.5 (150 hp) or 2.0 (200 hp) turbo engines, with a "robot" in the first case and an "automatic" in the second. The rear suspension of the M-line is an independent multi—link
We transfer to the 1.5 liter M70. Of course, there is less thrust, although it does not dramatically affect acceleration, and its curb weight is less than 50 kg. The "robot" is in no hurry to switch down, although this does not affect the smoothness of the ride. Moskvich was engaged in self-tuning the suspension for each modification. As a result, if the rear passengers of the top-end M70 on the "bench" feel a barely noticeable "goat", then the base "seventies" transmits a little more road roughness to the body, but with sudden maneuvers it feels a little more stable, and it is slightly more pleasant to be in the second row.
The Moskvich M90 is available with an alternative two-liter 200-horsepower engine with automatic transmission and all-wheel drive system. It is recommended to refuel both crossovers with fuel with an octane rating of at least 95
As for the 2.1-ton M90, its behavior can be described in one word — intelligent. By default, a large crossover has only a 200-horsepower automatic engine and a four-wheel drive system with "preload" (transmits thrust up to 50%, depending on the situation). There are four modes of electronic driving settings, not counting automatic and individual. The suspension is elastic on large bumps and allows moderate rocking. The sound insulation is an order of magnitude better than that of the M70.
For the sake of the future
As Elena Frolova, General director of the Moskvich plant, told Izvestia, the choice of a new production partner and access to a higher consumer segment is due to the business model: it is important to diversify the model range in order to raise sufficient funds to invest in the future. In addition, as far as long-term strategy is concerned, having two partners is more reliable than having one. The launch line of Moskvichs will be produced and sold in parallel with the new one, but some optimization awaits it, the details of which will become known by the end of 2026.
The compact Moskvich M70 is exactly the same price as the seven-seat Moskvich 8. In the initial configuration, it will cost 3.1 million rubles, in the top—end - 3.5 million rubles.
The Moskvich M70 costs 3.1-3.5 million rubles, and the Moskvich M90 costs 4.2 million rubles—
By default, the M70 has diode optics, 19-inch wheels, a panoramic roof with a sunroof, an audio system with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six audio speakers, dual-zone climate control, heated all seats and steering wheel, a driver's seat with electric adjustment and "memory", adaptive cruise control, a camera and parking sensors at the rear, six airbags. For an additional fee, electric adjustment of the front passenger seat, steering wheel lobes, a driving mode selection system, eight audio speakers, wireless charging and a blind spot monitoring system are available.
The Moskvich M90 has become the most expensive car brand in history and costs 4.2 million rubles. It is almost 300 thousand rubles more expensive than the seven-seat Tenet T8. This is also the level of crossovers such as the Jetour T2 and Geely Monjaro. In terms of optional equipment, the flagship largely repeats the top-end M70 and is complemented, for example, by a three-zone climate system, ventilation of the front seats and atmospheric interior lighting.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
