UAZ announced several years ago that it was developing its first crossover. But the development of this project, apparently, was frozen. This is evidenced by the absence of any news from UAZ regarding the new crossover. However, poor financial condition Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant once morest the backdrop of continued growth in demand for cars in such a body should force the company to revive the model. And it can help Chery.
The domestic designer has published a series of renderings revealing the possible appearance of the first UAZ-409 2022-2023 crossover. The car is decorated in a classic style for many representatives of the SUV class. At the same time, outwardly, it resembles models of the Chery brand. That is, according to the author’s idea, it is the Chinese company that will become the main source of design ideas for the developers of the UAZ crossover. However, this cooperation is not limited to this.
UAZ does not currently have the technical capabilities to create its own crossover. The project mentioned earlier probably contains solutions that cannot be implemented today or are already outdated. Moreover, UAZ has neither the platform nor the engines needed to produce the crossover. Due to the large volume, current power units cannot be installed on a similar car. In this regard, the creation of a crossover is impossible without the direct participation of Chery.
In turn, the Chinese company may also be interested in developing such a car. This model will be another source of income for Chery. Chinese company, like for example Volkswagennow produces, in fact, similar crossovers under its own brand and under brand Jetour. That is, one cannot say that, by helping UAZ, Chery thus artificially creates a competitor for Tiggo 7 Pro.
Russian and Chinese models will differ from each other. Most likely, the new UAZ crossover will receive less on-board electronics, which will make it a more affordable car than the Tiggo 7 Pro. At the same time, the domestic model should be equipped with all-wheel drive, which the engineers of the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant will adapt to the Chinese platform. If Tiggo 7 Pro competes rather with Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportagethen the new UAZ crossover will become a rival for Nissan X-Trail i Haval F7which are better off-road than Korean models.
Design
The new UAZ-409 2022-2023 crossover is made in a body with regular geometric shapes. This configuration gives the car a more practical and, at the same time, memorable appearance. The latter is due to the fact that now many manufacturers, when creating crossovers, strive to keep them in a similar style. However, this is not the case for all companies.
The choice in favor of this body configuration can be explained by another reason: stamping machines that produce exterior parts are easier to adapt to such designs. And this, in turn, is beneficial for both UAZ, which is experiencing financial difficulties, and Chery. The Chinese company is not yet planning large investments in the Russian market.
The presented crossover stands out from the background of potential competitors with heavily littered A-pillars, which give the car a swift look and allow you to increase the windshield area. The elongated front end of the body ends with a large square-shaped radiator grille with a fine mesh. Moreover, because of the black plastic piping, it seems to be recessed inside. Next to it are thin LED headlights. And below, the developer placed a block with additional LED strips, between which ventilation holes are visible.
The front bumper is large. A plastic lining stretched along it, inside of which there was a long air intake, divided into several segments. The shortened front overhang will make the UAZ-409 2022-2023 more passable off-road. This is facilitated by increased ground clearance.
The novelty is complemented by a wide plastic body kit, stretching along the side of the body. The roofline slopes slowly towards the roof. The rear part of the body of the presented novelty has a complex design. A spoiler with a ledge in the center is fixed on top. Under it stretched wide “through” lights with LEDs, characteristic of the latest Chery models. In particular, such optics are installed on new Tiggo 8 Pro, which recently debuted in China. The aft bumper, slightly protruding once morest the background of the tailgate, is almost completely covered with a plastic overlay.
Specifications
Little is known regarding the technical characteristics of the new UAZ crossover. As noted earlier, the presented model may be deeply unified with the Tiggo 7 Pro. In this case, the Russian novelty will receive a 1.5-liter supercharged engine, the maximum output of which does not exceed 147 hp. It can only be combined with a stepless variator.
Another option is not excluded. Chery can provide UAZ with a 2-liter naturally aspirated engine with a maximum output of 122 hp, which was previously installed on Tiger 7. Such a unit is also combined with a stepless variator. In addition, Chery has recently been actively installing a 1.6-liter 197-horsepower turbo engine on its new products. In particular, in China, the Tiggo 7 Plus is equipped with this engine. Therefore, it is possible that the new UAZ-409 2022-2023 crossover will receive the same engine.
The Russian model will stand out once morest the background of the Chinese with the presence of all-wheel drive. This transmission for the crossover should be developed by UAZ engineers.
Time to market
It was noted above that the UAZ company has not mentioned its project to develop a crossover for several years. But the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant needs such a car. Therefore, given that Chery began testing the capacities of UAZ a few months ago and adapting the production process at the Russian enterprise to their cars, it is possible that a novelty similar to the crossover shown in the renders will debut during 2023.
