Lada wants to build 400,000 cars

With more than 400,000 cars in 2023, the production target seems to have been adjusted slightly downwards compared to the aforementioned number of half a million. Still, a lot has to change to reach those 400,000 units, because Avtovaz, and with it Lada, have taken a big hit from the war with Ukraine. Renault had a share of more than two-thirds in the company. Renault’s alliance partner Nissan also withdrew completely from Russia earlier this year, selling all of the brand’s assets in Russia for a symbolic amount to a Russian state-owned company.

According to Reuters, an investment package worth around 550 million euros has been approved by Avtovaz’s new board. This means that work can be done on the new plans, which consist of various pillars. To begin with, the production of the current models must remain on track. This year – 2022 – Lada says it still built 220,000 cars, after a huge dip in the spring. That number must increase to ‘more than 400,000’ next year, and that will not be possible without new models. That is why several new models should be launched as early as the second half of 2023, Lada itself reports on its website.

The brand is not secretive about the fact that it involves the help of partners from ‘friendly countries’. We can only imagine one giant in the automotive field: China. Lada wants to expand the range with more expensive models than the current compact range, models in the C and D segment. Count on basic Chinese sedans and crossovers, sourced from a variety of manufacturers. However, the cars must be produced locally. That will happen in the former Nissan factory near St. Petersburg, where it is undoubtedly a lot quieter since the disappearance of that Japanese brand.

Lada also emphasizes that the development of its own products receives a lot of attention. For example, successors to the Granta and the Vesta are being worked on. However, Lada also comes with its own EV, the e-Largus. We’ve known them since August, but series production is still a while away. It should be there in 2024. If the e-Largus sounds familiar to you, that is not surprising: a Lada Largus is in fact a slightly modified Dacia Logan MCV of the first generation. Lada also emphasizes that this is a largely Russian product, built in Russia, with Russian parts and by Russian people. Avtovaz is negative about ‘other Russian manufacturers’, who simply assemble kits from abroad. We should undoubtedly think of Moskvitch, which recently put together Chinese JACs as Moskvitch 3.