Update on Lada Vesta NG sightings and production status
In late May, reports spread about a shipment of updated Lada Vesta cars. The manufacturer refers to these updates as NG, short for new generation. The vehicles were photographed while still on a transporter, with four sedans and three station wagons visible in the frame.
Descriptions of the equipment on these Vestas include parking sensors, a camera system, LED fog lamps, alloy wheels, a standard MMC screen without a tablet form, a rear seat center armrest, a 1.6 liter engine paired with a manual transmission, and a traditional non electric parking brake.
It is noted that Vesta is assembled in Izhevsk, while the photos show vehicles on a transporter in Tolyatti. Early speculation suggested these cars might head to an official dealer. However, a later explanation from the photo source indicated that a public release of Vesta NG on a car transporter is not planned for sale. The movement from Izhevsk to Tolyatti was part of a route to the Scientific and Technical Center of AVTOVAZ, a unit focused on the development and testing of new models (Citation: AVTOVAZ information source).
The source also stated that production of Lada Vesta NG is not currently underway. The cars in the photographed frame belong to a batch of roughly 200 units produced in February and March. The outlook for serial production was described as very unlikely, with no plans to ship these vehicles to dealers (Citation: AVTOVAZ information source).
Historically, the first new Vesta rolled off the Izhevsk assembly line on February 22 of the current year. With the plant in a paused state, employees are receiving about two thirds of the median income and are engaging in public works. A similar situation is noted at the AvtoVAZ plant in Tolyatti (Citation: AVTOVAZ information source).
- One assembly line is scheduled to restart on June 6, focusing on a simplified version of the Lada Granta.
- The publication Behind the Wheel can be accessed on Odnoklassniki.