The Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that the assembly of Renault Duster will be transferred to AvtoVAZ, crossovers will be produced under the Lada brand. Neither the authorities nor the domestic manufacturer has yet to comment on the fate of the model. Before Renault left the capital of the factory, it was planned to create a new generation Lada Niva on the basis of the French concern Duster. This explains why Duster remains AvtoVAZ’s legacy from a collapsed alliance with Renault.
Instead of French engines, Lada Duster can receive the highest-performance AvtoVAZ unit – a 1.8-liter 16-valve VAZ-21179 engine with a capacity of 122 hp and can be upgraded to 145 hp. Similar atmospheres are now installed on the Vesta Sport model. This was stated by socialbites.ca interlocutors close to AvtoVAZ, similar information was previously reported by the Drom.ru portal.
According to Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine, Duster wins only with this engine, but there are nuances.
“This engine is quite suitable for Duster, a good combination, more powerful.
Maybe with it the car will become even cheaper. However, just putting it in the car is not enough, because the engine must be reliable, properly cooled and heated. These machines are in demand in the market. Duster now finds demand if it comes out at an affordable price,” Kadakov said in an interview with socialbites.ca.
Failed to sell
The founder of the Russian Car Telegram channel, Sergey Tsyganov, says that there should be no problems with the integration of a domestic 1.8-liter engine into the Duster. But the interlocutor doubts that the plant will be able to supply a sufficient number of motors to the conveyor.
“This engine did not even solve all the technical problems. Until recently, they implemented this motor with an old phase shifter, but now there is nowhere to take it, because this is German, ”explains the expert.
An equally serious problem for the implementation of the Duster in the VAZ version is the all-wheel drive system. The expert emphasizes that without it, the car has no market potential – 94% of Renault Duster sold in Russia last year are equipped with all-wheel drive, calculated in the Avtostat analytical agency.
Tsyganov admits that Lada Duster risks failing in sales if AvtoVAZ is not able to prepare an all-wheel drive car.
“You can equip the Duster with a conventional 1.6-liter engine with 106 hp, which is enough to sell the Duster in a front-wheel drive version.
On the other hand, it is more profitable for AvtoVAZ to make an expensive all-wheel drive Duster, making good money, and on the other hand, no one will stop the production of two Niva cars that will indirectly compete with it, ”
says Tsyganov.
The expert adds that the Duster crossover is convenient in that the all-wheel drive clutch is mounted on the rear axle, so you can bring torque to it from any gearbox. Like the classic Niva, the transfer case is missing – just make another propeller shaft to match the length of the power unit, he explains.
Quality can be maintained
Interlocutors that the transfer of Duster production from the Renault plant to AvtoVAZ will in no way affect the quality of commercial vehicles. As for the appearance, Lada Duster will not differ from the Renault crossover, because AvtoVAZ will need a lot of money and time to change the exterior design, experts are sure.
Togliatti will not rename the model, positioning it as a new Niva.
“If it’s not just the grille with the emblem, it’s very expensive to change the front design. New certification tests are possible, including crash tests,” says Maxim Kadakov, executive editor of Za Rulem.
what are the risks
If AvtoVAZ can start production of the Duster model, the interviewed experts agree that this will not happen until the end of 2023.
“Automobile production can be organized relatively quickly if Renault is ready to assist in the delivery of components.
If you only deal with Duster and start right now, you can organize a full-fledged production by the end of next year, ”says Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem.
The interlocutor notes that the production equipment for the assembly of Duster on the AvtoVAZ from the Moscow Renault plant has not yet been removed. Movement is a complex logistics operation. There are no problems with stamp production, Kadakov says – but also in Tolyatti, where the big problem is resource trunks, his organization will require serious investments.
We are sure that AvtoVAZ will have to make serious investments to work with the old French platform, says Sergey Tsyganov, author of the Russian Automobile Telegram channel. According to him, this still makes no economic sense.
AvtoVAZ has been moving to a newer CMF-B-LS platform in recent years. It spent a lot of time and money on development and went through the industrialization stages to introduce a new car, and the old B0 would be forgotten,” he said.
From a financial point of view, it is now difficult for the Volga Automobile Plant to resume production on the B0 platform and at the same time prepare for the release of the next generation Duster, the resource is certain. Even technically, Renault is no longer able to deliver on its promises due to logistical problems – many parts of the Duster came via Ukraine from the Dacia plant (owned by Renault) in Romania.
Source: Gazeta
