Sales of the Lada Duster crossover in Russia may fail if AvtoVAZ fails to develop an all-wheel drive system for the model, Sergei Tsyganov, founder of the Russian Automobile Telegram channel, told socialbites.ca. The expert emphasized that without it, the car has no market potential. According to Avtostat, 94% of Renault Dusters sold in Russia in 2022 were equipped with a 4WD system.
It is more profitable for AvtoVAZ to make an expensive all-wheel drive Duster, it makes good money, but on the other hand, no one will stop the production of two Niva cars that will indirectly compete with it, ”explained Tsyganov.
Earlier, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that the assembly of Renault Duster will be transferred to AvtoVAZ, and the crossovers will be produced under the Lada brand. It is planned to equip the cars with a 1.8-liter 16-valve VAZ-21179 gasoline engine with a capacity of 122 hp, which can be boosted to 145 hp. The same power units are installed on the Lada Vesta Sport sports sedan. However, it is possible that the plant is not able to supply enough motors to the conveyor as some spare parts are imported for its assembly.
About whether AvtoVAZ can import key components, all-wheel drive systems, engines and gearboxes you read In the material “socialbites.ca”.