Today in Togliatti officially began production of the Lada Azimut. This is the brand's first crossover created on a modified Vesta platform. And today in Minsk, the Lada importer in Belarus held a closed pre-show of this vehicle. Visitors examined it in person and learned some details about the newcomer.

Relationships

The style of Togliatti designers can be guessed – but try to find common details with other Lada models. There are many nuances, such as door emblems, which are no longer H-shaped like those on the Vesta. The car looks compact, but the ground clearance is 208 millimeters, and the overhangs are modest. Not bad. However, for off-road use you still won't get far: the drive is only on the front wheels.

The rear roof rails with characteristic embossing refer both to the original "Nive" and to the Lada Vision 4x4 concept car that was shown in 2018 and prefigured the arrival of the new generation of off-roaders. As is known, the project did not materialize. After Renault left Russia, the development of the new "Nive" was halted, but a decision was made to create models on the modified Vesta platform.

The crossover inherited layout solutions and the fundamental chassis scheme from it, but received about a thousand new and improved components, including body panels, lighting technology, and interior elements, as well as a new rear suspension.

From the press release of the factory "The wheel hubs have been completely redesigned. Larger-diameter wheel hub bearings have been applied to ensure increased durability. To ensure transmission of increased torque, instead of four nuts for attaching the wheels, now five nuts are used; the load-bearing capability of the universal joint connection at the front axles has been increased (the number of joints has been increased)."

Preparation for production

It is especially noted by the company that the development of the car was carried out by Russian specialists – from concept creation, layout and design to designing, producing, and tuning all systems, functions, and ride qualities of the model.

The official debut of Azimut took place in June of this year during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (PIEF). Today is the start of production. But how did this car end up in Minsk? Everything is simple. It is a pre-series prototype.

In preparing the model for production, more than 370 test vehicles underwent an extensive testing program, including 7,220 tests. The plant also claims that over 1.5 million equivalent kilometers of mileage were covered.

Translation complete.

The name Azimut was chosen based on an open competition among the nearly 50,000‑strong team of AvtoVAZ employees. According to the company, it reflects the