AvtoVAZ has launched a project to replace the Lada Largus minibus and minibus, built on the B0 platform of the Renault-Nissan alliance: the replacement is based on the Lada Vesta bogie and will receive the original body, which will remain in two volumes. Sergey Tsyganov, the author of the Autopotok Telegram channel, told socialbites.ca about this, citing his own sources at the Volga auto giant. According to him, AvtoVAZ is developing a crossover on the Vesta platform in parallel with the minibus, where the nomination of suppliers has already begun.
“The timing of the minivan project has not yet been determined, but now there is an understanding that all new AvtoVAZ projects should be done yesterday.
There are dates for the transitional project, and as I understand it, the minivan will be released in about six months, ”Tsyganov told socialbites.ca.
Maxim Sokolov, previously head of AvtoVAZ, in an interview with Forbes aforementionedthat the factory will launch a crossover on the Lada Vesta platform at the end of 2025.
what will they be
According to Tsyganov,
From Lada Vesta for both cars, with minor changes, only the base of the body will be taken,
and the top will be redesigned. The crossover, which is in deeper development, is scheduled to receive approval in August 2023 before leading the lead on the basic design. Then the development work will begin.
“Besides the minivan, we can see a commercial version as well. If it is decided to completely replace the Largus, there is no point in making two small-sized pickup trucks on the same conveyor. In fact, this is not two cars that will be produced in parallel, as in Granta and Iskra, but will replace Largus, ”Tsyganov continued.
The fuselage will have the maximum volume, but the units will have to be kept to the maximum: when the production of the minivan begins, the plant will begin production of the 1.8 engine with a capacity of 122 hp. In addition to the 1.6 engines with 90 and 106 hp. The fact that a more powerful engine will return to the VAZ mass assortment was said earlier by the head of AvtoVAZ projects, Oleg Grunenkov.
The Vesta-based crossover will not have all-wheel drive,
The interlocutor of socialbites.ca concluded that the platform does not allow its implementation, and the radical redrawing of the platform necessary for this will not work, since the demand for all-wheel drive versions of the crossovers is not high enough.
It can be done more easily
In the current circumstances it makes more sense for AvtoVAZ to develop a car with a three-dimensional body based on the existing Vesta station wagon by increasing the roof height and rebuilding the rear of the car, industry consultant Sergey Burgazliev, an independent automotive company, was convinced.
“The project of a cargo-passenger Lada Vesta to replace Largus has been discussed at the factory since last year. And it is quite clear that the Largus platform will not be left to AvtoVAZ (the former owners of the plant, socialbites.ca).
Probably,
AvtoVAZ will design a two-volume body with “deaf” rear walls and offer an enlarged roof, giving it the ability to adapt it to a minivan.
Also, Burgazliev believes that the rear door will have to be redone, but the side doors will remain the same, like the Vesta station wagon.
Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine, says it could take up to three years to design a pickup truck and minibus based on the Lada Vesta if the factory follows the path of creating a new body. While the final parameters of the project are yet to be determined, he stresses.
“At the moment, nothing can be certain. It can be assumed that the development of such a car, despite its seeming simplicity, could take at least two and a half years, ”Kadakov tells socialbites.ca.
Kadakov lists that it is necessary to design a new body, create a landing pattern, perform calculations, rework the suspension and perform a number of tests, including passive safety, especially if the wheelbase is increased.
How much will it cost
Maxim Kadakov believes that the price of such a car will certainly be higher than the Lada Vesta, at least because of the more materials used.
“Now, the Lada Vesta Cross station wagon with a manual transmission and a 106 hp engine costs 1.6-1.7 million rubles, then a minibus as of today will cost about 2 million rubles,” he says.
Sergey Burgazliev, an independent consultant in the automotive industry, has a different opinion.
“The cargo version may obviously be 7-10% cheaper than the station wagon, but the price of the minivan will definitely increase by about 15-20%,” he estimates.