GAZ Group Advances Sobol NN Light Commercial Vehicles into Serial Production
GAZ Group has announced that the Sobol NN light commercial vehicle line will move into serial production in the fourth quarter of 2022. The update came from the company’s press service on July 21, detailing the plan and the scale of investment behind the project.
The Industrial Development Fund, guided by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, will supply a soft loan of 828 million rubles for the Sobol NN project, at favorable terms capped at no more than 3 percent per year. In total, 3.25 billion rubles are earmarked to initiate production of the Sobol NN, with GAZ Group contributing 2.422 billion rubles of its own resources.
GAZ Sobol NN
The Sobol NN pre-production prototype was unveiled in Moscow during the Russian Retail Week exhibition in early June. The company plans to launch the all-metal van and the minibus configurations first, reflecting a strategy to diversify the Sobol NN lineup to meet varied commercial needs.
Specifications for the Sobol NN van place its total length at 5120 mm, with a wheelbase of 2430 mm and a turning circle of 5.4 meters. Internal cargo space measurements are 2600 mm in length, 1860 mm in width, and 1614 mm in height, yielding a cargo volume of 7.8 cubic meters. The van is planned to carry a payload of 800 kg and will be built on a 4×2 chassis with rear-wheel drive. Analysts anticipate that these design choices will appeal to last-mile delivery services and online retailers seeking efficient, dependable transport solutions.
GAZ Sobol NN
In remarks provided by FRP’s press service, GAZ intends to allocate the soft loan funds toward equipment for body panel preparation, welding and seaming of doors, and modernization of production lines for welding bases and body sides. The assembly and painting of Sobol NN are planned to take place on the existing production lines at the GAZ automobile plant, in a single-flow sequence alongside the GAZelle NN and GAZelle Next families. The Sobol NN will be offered in configurations featuring a UMP Evotech petrol engine and a forthcoming GAZ turbo diesel variant, enhancing powertrain options for commercial operators. Localization of the new components is projected to reach 83 percent, reinforcing the project’s aim to maximize domestic content while maintaining competitive performance and price points.
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