Company AvtoVAZ is currently in a difficult situation: it not only experiences an acute shortage of components, due to which production has not yet recovered, but also lost a long-term partner in the face of Renault. As a result, the Volga Automobile Plant, at least for a while, lost opportunities for the development of the model range. Moreover, the departure of Renault led to a reduction in production volumes, since AvtoVAZ until recently assembled Logan i Sandero. And even if these models return to the Russian market, their production will most likely be set up at the Moscow Automobile Plant.
In a previous article, we talked about new Moskvich-2140, which will be created on the basis of Renault Logan. This model will help restore production at the Moscow Automobile Plant. But the appearance of the third generation Logan on the Russian market is under threat, and even in the event of its debut, the model will practically not improve the position of AvtoVAZ. But, judging by the latest news, the Volga Automobile Plant can find help in China. The domestic designer has already presented what the new Lada Iskra 2022-2023 crossover might look like, which will be created by AvtoVAZ in cooperation with Chinese engineers.
Assistance in this matter to the Volga Automobile Plant should be provided by Chery. Last year, the Chinese manufacturer under its own brand and brand Exeed sold over 21 thousand cars on the Russian market. Haval achieved the worst results over the same period, even though the company has a localized production near Tula. Taking into account the departure of some competitors from the Russian market and the weakening of the position of others, Chery needs to increase its share of presence in our country. However, it is simply impossible to do this without localization of production. In China, Chery cars are significantly cheaper than in Russia, which reduces their competitiveness.
It is already known that the company will soon launch the production of its own products on UAZ. But Chery has 2 budget sub-brands, each of which could become popular in Russia. It’s about brands. Jetour and Kaiyi. Chery uses both brands to make really cheap cars. At the same time, in terms of the quality of workmanship and the level of equipment, they are practically not inferior to the products of the parent company.
In conditions when AvtoVAZ is losing access to foreign technologies, and there is a need to increase sales volumes, Chery may also establish cooperation with the Volga Automobile Plant. Thanks to this, the Chinese company will be able to bring to Russia the Kaiyi brand, under which today cars are produced worth less than a million rubles in terms of the current exchange rate. And some models are sold at all for 500 thousand rubles. But at least for the first time, all cars of the Chinese brand will be supplied to the Russian market as Lada. This is because the domestic brand is very popular in our country, and few people know about Kaiyi. That is, in this way Chery will save a lot of money on promoting its own products in Russia.
The first car, the production of which will be established in Togliatti, will be the compact city crossover Kaiyi X3. The choice in favor of this model is largely due to the fact that it costs about 600 thousand rubles in China at the current exchange rate. After the launch of production in Russia, its price may rise to about 700 thousand rubles. As a result, cooperation between Chery and AvtoVAZ will give the domestic company the opportunity to significantly increase its market share. The new Lada crossover at this price, even with minimal equipment, will quickly become one of the favorites.
It should be noted that the cooperation between AvtoVAZ and Chery will bring other benefits. The Russian company will be able to restore at least the previous production volumes thanks to the Chinese one. Chery will supply electronics to the automobile plant in Togliatti, the shortage of which is currently experienced by AvtoVAZ.
The new crossover Lada Iskra 2022-2023 is a completely Chinese car that can receive several improvements. They are necessary to bring the model to a common corporate style. But the technical part will definitely be Chinese. The first Lada crossover will be equipped by default with a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, which Chery previously used on inexpensive Tiggo models, and is now actively installing on Kaiyi cars. The maximum power of this engine is 115 hp. It is combined exclusively with a 5-speed manual transmission.
The choice of buyers can offer another engine. The new Lada crossover may also be equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo engine, the maximum output of which will be reduced to 150 hp. With this unit, they will offer the same “mechanics” or a variator. The starting motor does not provide good dynamics. But its implementation will keep prices at an acceptable level. Installing a turbo engine on a new Lada crossover will likely result in the cost of the car exceeding one million rubles. However, such a unit not only provides good acceleration dynamics, but also consumes relatively little fuel.
The initial version of the new Lada crossover will be simplified as much as possible. This will be done for the same reason: it is necessary to keep the price of the car low. This model will become the same machine as Grant in the segment of sedans and station wagons. The new Lada will be aimed at people who do not have enough money to buy a well-equipped car, but they want to buy a crossover. In this regard, in the initial version of the presented model, you can find an inexpensive stereo system, which, most likely, will be supplied by one of the Russian companies, a standard set of security systems (ABS and ESP) and 2 airbags.
The top modification will be supplemented by a multimedia complex. Moreover, as in the case of the audio system, it will be supplied by a Russian manufacturer. Also, the new Lada crossover will receive full-fledged climate control and, possibly, a virtual dashboard. Both equipment can also be produced by domestic companies, which will increase the localization of assembly of the presented model and reduce AvtoVAZ’s dependence on foreign components.
The new crossover Lada Iskra 2022-2023 will be maximally unified with the Chinese prototype only in the first few years. Over time, Chery will increase the number of components that will be assembled in Russia. Such a move will help the Chinese company reduce its dependence on exchange rate fluctuations, as well as receive additional preferences from the Russian government. In this regard, it can be expected that in 1-3 years after the appearance, the presented Lada crossover will receive a series of fairly serious updates. Chery’s approach to the development of its models also speaks in favor of the assumption made. It almost annually changes its own products, releasing new versions or upgrading existing ones.
As noted earlier, visually, the first Lada crossover will be in many ways similar to its Kaiyi X3 prototype. This is due to the fact that making adjustments to the body configuration will require additional investments, which neither Chery nor AvtoVAZ are ready to make. In this regard, the first copies of the Lada crossover will differ from the Kaiyi X3 only in nameplates. But over time, the appearance of the car will be slightly adjusted.
More expressive changes are expected in the cabin. Although it is possible that at first AvtoVAZ will retain the Chinese layout for the crossover. The changes will occur due to the appearance inside the presented novelty of Russian parts such as a touch monitor, an air conditioning control unit or an analog dashboard with wide “wells”.
It is too early to talk about the timing of the release of the new crossover Lada Iskra 2022-2023. But given that Chery is rapidly developing its lineup and actively expanding its presence in global markets, it can be assumed that the presented SUV will debut in early 2023. The Russian government represented by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which needs to restore the production process at AvtoVAZ, will also help speed up the development of such a crossover. Therefore, the ministry can provide Chery with certain benefits and subsidies.