Question of the day: what future awaits the first crossover from AvtoVAZ, the Lada-Azimut?

On the morning of June 18, NI correspondents at the SPIEF filmed a car hidden under a black awning. A female model in a coat in the signature colors of AvtoVAZ was assigned to guard the car from overly curious citizens who were trying to look behind the cover. But everyone was obliged to wait for the presentation scheduled for 1 p.m.

The day before, the intrigue with the crossover design was heated up by supposedly "random" photos, which showed original wheel disks with an unprecedented design. They really looked fresh and non-trivial.

It was logical to assume that the entire car would be exquisitely unusual. After all, AvtoVAZ representatives repeated that they were talking about a completely new “design language” developed by young specialists who had moved away from the style of the Renault X-series. However, it was hard to believe in a revolutionary design. After all, AvtoVAZ had already shown its new product to President Putin in February, and photos of the future crossover had spread across the Internet.

The author of this article did not see anything in the appearance of the first Togliatti crossover that would go down in the annals of the world auto industry. From the shots it is clear that the car received familiar X-shaped stampings on the side parts of the body.

The design of similarly sized Haval, Chery, Changan, Dongfeng and two dozen other Chinese brands is done in the same manner, including a brake light across the entire width of the fifth door. In any case, Lada cars will not be bought for the sake of design.

What should guarantee a bright market future for the first crossover from Tolyatti?

According to Avtostat, two-thirds of the modern Russian car market (67%) are crossovers. Among Chinese brands, the SUV share is 90%. At the same time, 45% of cars have all-wheel drive. Of the 240 thousand new Chinese cars sold on the Russian car market in 2025, 95% (226.5 thousand units) are equipped with an automatic transmission.

And this layout shows the preferences of buyers, which were formed long before the appearance of the first crossover from Tolyatti.

It is worth remembering that any entry into a highly competitive market requires technical solutions from manufacturers that competitors for consumers’ wallets may not have.

It is no coincidence that in 2016 the French presented the subcompact crossover Renault Kaptur with all-wheel drive. The car was made specifically for the Russian Federation! Two engines - 1.6 and two liters, three types of transmissions, including automatic, manual and CVT, dozens of options, including LED headlights, two-tone body paint and a price taking into account Russian assembly...

In the first five years, Renault dealers in Russia sold over 130 thousand Kaptur units. And this is in the conditions of fierce competition from the Japanese, Koreans and Germans.

Now the role of Toyota and Kia in the Russian crossover market is played by the Chinese, who offer all-wheel drive among the options for city crossovers.

Will the new AvtoVAZ product have it?

But we go further and look at the engines. The Chinese have two standard options - 1.5 liter engines without a turbine, comparable to AvtoVAZ engines with a power of 100-120 horsepower, and with turbines that develop up to 190-200 horsepower.

"At present, AvtoVAZ does not have a suitable engine with sufficient power and traction. The power of the 1.8 Evo (122 hp) is barely enough, and the forced to 145 hp version of the 1.8 engine is planned to be returned to production, but only to resume production of the Vesta Sport, since installing a high-performance engine on regular models is not considered feasible. For a large and heavy crossover, AvtoVAZ will need to develop (or purchase in China) a turbocharged engine and a suitable gearbox capable of transmitting high torque , " says Igor Lemeshev, technical expert at NI.

By the way, about the gearbox. In the best case, VAZ promises a Chinese CVT. Most cars will have a 6-speed manual, which in itself puts the crossover in the category of the most budget-friendly offerings on the market.

By the way, just yesterday the Chinese car manufacturer Chery announced the start of sales in the Russian Federation of the Tiggo 4 crossover with a manual transmission. According to information provided by the brand's representatives, the recommended price of the car in the MT Line configuration starts below the psychological mark of two million rubles - from 1,999,000 rubles. But taking into account discounts, the cost of the car will be even less!

So what price should AvtoVAZ set for its crossover to compete with the popular Chinese analogue? Experts say that it will not be less than two million. But in this case, the Azimuth, not yet hitting the conveyor belt and dealer showrooms, risks sharing the fate of the Aura, whose sales are going at a negligible pace.

The question of whether the plant's investment in creating the new model will pay off remains up in the air.

True, right now no one is going to put the new product on the conveyor. A car without clear engines and gearboxes, with a chassis unfinished during long tests is more of a mock-up of a future car than a premiere of a real one. By the way, this is a significant difference between AvtoVAZ presentations and all world brands, which, if they show their new products, are immediately ready to produce them. But in our case, you never know where the PR campaign ends and the real deal begins, and not a scattering of more promises under the roar of patriotic drums.