Russian Auto Industry

Sherp has been a surprising success in America:

New items that will surprise the Russian auto industry in 2021
Alexey Kovanov
January 2, 2021

But we can when we want! This was shown to us by the past 2020: KamAZ, with the direct participation of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, rolled out the electric Kamu-1, and the native AVTOVAZ was generous in general for the restyling of Largus and Niva. What will happen next? The AvtoVzglyad portal has outlined an approximate calendar of the release of fresh developments.

However, in fairness, we note that there was no formal premiere of either LADA Largus or LADA Niva - both events are scheduled for early next year. However, we are sure that the SUV will change only externally , retaining the old equipment and interior.

But Largus will please not only with a tweaked "face", but also with a relatively fresh interior : "relatively" - because the front panel was taken from Renault Duster, and the related XRAY shared other details (steering wheel, seats, etc.).

Let's go further. The main long-term construction of the domestic auto industry - the Aurus project - will soon acquire serial status: the production of Senat sedans will start in the spring! Although the main hopes of the bosses of the Russian premium brand, of course, are pinning on the Komendant crossover. They wanted to show him at the Moscow Motor Show, but, as you know, the exhibition was canceled ...

Technically, the Commandant is no different from the Senate. But what is there technically! Both cars have a common interior, ground clearance and even most of the body parts (in any case, the cars are completely identical to the front pillar). We will see all this with our own eyes in a few months. Although the production on the conveyor will be delayed again - right up to 2022.

Only Vesta remained in the LADA brand. But soon the situation will be corrected: the restyling is not just being prepared at full speed, but is already rushing along the finish line - the first ten cars have been assembled in Izhevsk, which after the New Year holidays will go to sea trials. And the series "facelift" will go in the summer.

What to expect from a refreshed flagship? Optics will replace halogen bulbs with fashionable LEDs, and the headlights will be shared by Renault Logan of the latest, third generation. A large touchscreen of the media system and other new items will appear in the salon. But the 1.3-liter turbo engine, which the Vestavods dream of so much, does not seem to exist ...

If in six months the country recovers from covid, then the Comtrans exhibition, where the main cargo novelties are displayed, will be held in a completely familiar “live” format. And there, most likely, a new generation of the gas "monochromatic" - "Sobol NN" will be presented. But GAZ showed the first prototype of this car to the public ... in 2012!

By the way, the spies have already declassified the new generation Sobol. Representatives of the Gorky Automobile Plant did not deny, confirming: yes, the pictures were taken during a private demonstration of prototypes, when the company's bosses "were choosing optimal solutions for a number of structural elements." I wonder which of them "leaked" the photo?

Of course, in the new year we would very much like to see another frame novelty from the Russian brand - the fresh UAZ Patriot. But it looks like the project is on a very long pause. And that's really bad news! After all, the SUV, designed by the aforementioned St. Petersburg Polytechnic, turned out to be just what you need.

What. The AvtoVzglyad portal congratulates Russian automakers on the New Year and wishes them new products - good ... and very good. The main thing is that there should be as many of these new products as possible, and that lack of finance should not hinder their putting on the conveyor (as, for example, happened with the startup Zetta).

https://yandex.ru/turbo/avtovzglyad.ru/s/avto/avtoprom/2020-01-01-novinki-kotorymi-nas-udivit-rossijskij-avtoprom/?publisher_logo_url=https%3A%2F%2Favatars.mds.yandex.net%2Fget-turbo%2F1371720%2F2a00000164298e92cb70a2c929f8d8a68f05%2Forig&promo=navbar&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fzen.yandex.com

Putin limo Aurus Senat S600 will be produced not only in #Russia, but also in #AbuDhabi.

The agreement was signed by Min of Industry & Trade of Russian Federation & an Arab company specializing in production of def products-in particular, APC & small arms.

Putin: Aurus will strengthen the presence of Russian cars in the world market
May 31, 2021.

The start of serial production of Aurus cars will increase the presence of Russian cars on the international market, President Vladimir Putin said via video link at the launch ceremony of the Aurus plant in Tatarstan.

“I hope that the serial production of Aurus cars will strengthen the presence of Russian cars on the international market, and will make it possible to increase the export of high-tech products,” Putin was quoted by TASS as saying.

According to him, the level of localization in the production of Aurus cars should increase from the current 53% to 80% by 2022. In turn, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said that the production of the Aurus Kommendant SUV would begin next year.

The head of state noted that the Aurus is a worthy high-quality car that meets international standards. According to him, he himself repeatedly drove such cars.

“You know, I drive such cars and have been behind the wheel myself many times. This is a high-quality car that meets all world standards, ”the president said.

The materials for the mass production launch event indicate that the first Russian premium Aurus Senat cars will be sent for distribution in June 2021. The cost of the car in the basic configuration will be 18 million rubles.

It is also noted that Aurus in the long term is planned to be launched in China and Western Europe. “A significant part of the produced Aurus cars is planned to be sold in foreign markets, primarily in the Middle East. In the longer term, it is planned to enter the markets of China and Western Europe, ”the document says.

It is planned that Aurus will open a dealer center in St. Petersburg in 2021, and is also considering the possibility of launching sales in Sochi, Kazan and Yekaterinburg.

The list of suppliers for car production numbers about 170 companies, about 70% of them are Russian. Foreign suppliers include companies from Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy, China, France, Switzerland.

According to the Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Denis Manturov, Aurus is the only company in the world that has a laboratory sample of a hydrogen-supported machine.

On Monday , the opening of the Aurus plant in Tatarstan takes place via videoconference. It is attended by President Vladimir Putin, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Director of Rostec State Corporation Sergei Chemezov and Aurus CEO Adil Shirinov.

In April, sales director Aurus Artem Yusupov reported that opened up pre-orders for armored limousine Aurus Senat.

Text: Evgeniya Shestak

https://m.vz.ru/news/2021/5/31/1101991.html

Kiko wrote:Putin: Aurus will strengthen the presence of Russian cars in the world market
May 31, 2021.

The start of serial production of Aurus cars will increase the presence of Russian cars on the international market, President Vladimir Putin said via video link at the launch ceremony of the Aurus plant in Tatarstan.

“I hope that the serial production of Aurus cars will strengthen the presence of Russian cars on the international market, and will make it possible to increase the export of high-tech products,” Putin was quoted by TASS as saying.

According to him, the level of localization in the production of Aurus cars should increase from the current 53% to 80% by 2022. In turn, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said that the production of the Aurus Kommendant SUV would begin next year.

The head of state noted that the Aurus is a worthy high-quality car that meets international standards. According to him, he himself repeatedly drove such cars.

“You know, I drive such cars and have been behind the wheel myself many times. This is a high-quality car that meets all world standards, ”the president said.

The materials for the mass production launch event indicate that the first Russian premium Aurus Senat cars will be sent for distribution in June 2021. The cost of the car in the basic configuration will be 18 million rubles.

It is also noted that Aurus in the long term is planned to be launched in China and Western Europe. “A significant part of the produced Aurus cars is planned to be sold in foreign markets, primarily in the Middle East. In the longer term, it is planned to enter the markets of China and Western Europe, ”the document says.

It is planned that Aurus will open a dealer center in St. Petersburg in 2021, and is also considering the possibility of launching sales in Sochi, Kazan and Yekaterinburg.

The list of suppliers for car production numbers about 170 companies, about 70% of them are Russian. Foreign suppliers include companies from Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy, China, France, Switzerland.

According to the Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Denis Manturov, Aurus is the only company in the world that has a laboratory sample of a hydrogen-supported machine.

On Monday , the opening of the Aurus plant in Tatarstan takes place via videoconference. It is attended by President Vladimir Putin, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Director of Rostec State Corporation Sergei Chemezov and Aurus CEO Adil Shirinov.

In April, sales director Aurus Artem Yusupov reported that opened up pre-orders for armored limousine Aurus Senat.

Text: Evgeniya Shestak

https://m.vz.ru/news/2021/5/31/1101991.html

I hope it won't end up like Marussia, or share the same fate of Lada whose ownership has been sold to a foreign company (Renault)

Avtovaz is not gone or going. It is rather reviving.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AvtoVAZ

As long as the Renault is pulling its weight in the joint venture that is perfectly fine. There is no comparison to Marussia and
Avotvaz has returned the Niva back to itself. Its recent models are not too bad at all. The days of stagnation seen about
10 years ago are over.

Here's a slick ad for the Aurus Senat. FF to 3:30. Guy playing chess in the back
Comment from YT
There is some difference between Aurus and Rolls Royce Phantom. Aurus was basically designed to have armored version, while RR armored version is an add on. As some Russian oligarchs said: riding armored RR is like riding a bus, but riding armored Aurus is like riding a normal car.

I didn't know that

Now make an electric variant and people will be shitting themselves to get one.

Electric vehicles have to reduce weight to carry the substantial weight in batteries and to save on energy costs when fighting gravity.
The Aurus is too heavy for an electric with modern battery technology. They should develop a hybrid version instead of a plug in electric.
Regenerative breaking and short range all electric propulsion are worthwhile.

kvs wrote:Electric vehicles have to reduce weight to carry the substantial weight in batteries and to save on energy costs when fighting gravity.
The Aurus is too heavy for an electric with modern battery technology.    They should develop a hybrid version instead of a plug in electric.
Regenerative breaking and short range all electric propulsion are worthwhile.  

But that's not what the people want. People are sheep and they want electric. Better sell them electric. Who cares about the rest. Look at Musk, he is revered even if Tesla is a racket. People want his cars. It's all about electric now.

The Soviet ZIL limousine had less than 200 produced during its whole production run. The Aurus already has 500 confirmed orders at the start of its production.

The Aurus is a good development for Russia. High end automobile production is good for the whole industry. Being stuck with low end models keeps the
industry back. If you look at the pattern over the last 40 years in the west, there has been a migration of features from the high end to the low end.
Without a high end, this sort of market flexibility is not there since the feed in companies do not produce the components, even if it is cheaper variants
for the mainstream market.

High end production can also push new tech into this industry. This includes hybrid and electric tech.

miketheterrible wrote:

kvs wrote:Electric vehicles have to reduce weight to carry the substantial weight in batteries and to save on energy costs when fighting gravity.
The Aurus is too heavy for an electric with modern battery technology.    They should develop a hybrid version instead of a plug in electric.
Regenerative breaking and short range all electric propulsion are worthwhile.  

But that's not what the people want. People are sheep and they want electric.  Better sell them electric. Who cares about the rest. Look at Musk, he is revered even if Tesla is a racket. People want his cars.  It's all about electric now.

The high end Tesla model was and still is rather good. It is the cheaper mass market model that is trash. So even Tesla is an example of
why Russia needs high end car manufacturing. I think Russian companies would do a better job than Musk with a mass market electric
car. Russia is also the ideal place for such cars since Russians buy small cars by North American standards.

I think Avtovaz should be selling a plug in electric or hybrid. But I think it lacks access to the tech aside from Renault. But that is not
so easy to transfer to Russia.

Electric cars have problems in cold weather.

Most batteries have operational issues in cold weather and if you want to heat the car you need to use resistive heating.
The operational problems in cold weather might mean severely reduced range and the car plain not starting until you heat it.
An internal combustion or even fuel cell car will have enough waste heat you can use some for heating purposes.

In a country with vast wide expanses like Russia range is also a lot more important.

To make a car like that be in wide use in Russia will require large investments into battery technology which can properly operate in cold weather.

There are two main reasons why governments want electric cars. One is no more need to import oil. The other is less air pollution in cities.
Russia produces oil. Even if for some reason they wanted to preserve oil, they could just use natural gas in vehicles.

With regards to Renault, AFAIK they still have a relation with Nissan, which is probably the company with the most experience in EVs.
Nissan has been selling the Leaf since 2010.

I am not familiar with corporate agreements, but Nissan's tech may not be all that easy to transfer by Renault to its
Russian majority owned joint venture.

Anyway, there is a small domestic electric car that is going to come on the Russian market in the next couple of year or so:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-electric-russia-idUSKBN2BI2MI

The flexibility to have such activity organized by private initiative is a good thing for Russia. It shows that there is no reversion
to some central planning quagmire. This does not require the state to privatize every last thing. Some companies need to be
on leash (e.g. MIC ones) and they have demonstrated that state ownership is not killing their ability to deliver.

Posted today

miketheterrible wrote:

kvs wrote:Electric vehicles have to reduce weight to carry the substantial weight in batteries and to save on energy costs when fighting gravity.
The Aurus is too heavy for an electric with modern battery technology.    They should develop a hybrid version instead of a plug in electric.
Regenerative breaking and short range all electric propulsion are worthwhile.  

But that's not what the people want. People are sheep and they want electric.  Better sell them electric. Who cares about the rest. Look at Musk, he is revered even if Tesla is a racket. People want his cars.  It's all about electric now.

It is already a hybrid. There's an electric motor in there.

I believe Kalashnikov have an electric "motorcycle" for sale to police units already in use, but I don't know much about it.

BTW I seem to remember Jeremy Clarkson stating that an electric drive car can never match a vehicle with the power of an internal combustion engine.

Of course he is wrong, electric motors drive diesel electric trains and subs and can be plenty powerful enough.

Now that they are actually investing money in the things expect them to become more powerful and more efficient and more useful.

^A hybrid gets the best of both worlds. It just kicks in as needed. Smoother and quieter operation depending on the circumstances. I think it kicks in to give an extra boost of acceleration as can be seen in the video when Putin and Sisi drive away.

Electric motors are totally superior to any piston or other internal combustion engine. Their response time is basically instantaneous
and they can achieve maximal torque at all regimes. IC engines have a torque distribution that peaks only at one set of RPMs.
In a piston engine there is a lot of mass being flung back and forth which wastes energy. In an electric motor even if the rotating
winding is heavy it rotates only in one direction so only the spin up or spin down lag costs which is much smaller compared to pistons.

The problem with electric engines is the energy supply. Liquid fuels like gasoline and diesel have a lot of energy in a convenient form.
Battery tech sucks ass. It has gotten better thanks to lithium-ion and there is lots of talk about further improvements, but the energy
density will not go up by a factor of 10 or more.

The hybrid option where an IC engine works at one optimal RPM to generate electricity for an electric motor and using a battery as sort of
buffer is not a bad compromise. Electric motors do not require much in terms of a transmission so losses in this configuration can
be smaller than a pure IC engine design.

But there is no long term optimal solution for the private car. Dragging over a tone of metal to move a couple of asses and more typically
just one only makes sense when fuel is cheap. That is not going to be true even in the medium term.

There is a huuuuge BelAz truck that uses two diesels to generate electricity and has an eletric motor on every wheel. Best of two worlds.

That could be the alternative. Instead of battery, they could go the CNG route or whatever that powers an electric generator that powers the electric motor. Guarantees the necessary power.

This is a doc on the development of the Aurus. Its an example of one of those projects that the whole country unites behind. They reverse brain drained and plucked Russians abroad that were in the car industry. (10:29)

This is hopefully the model they use to construct the amphibious landing ships and then aircraft carriers.

AvtoVAZ will start production of more expensive cars

MOSCOW, June 21 - RIA Novosti. " AvtoVAZ " plans for five years to introduce new Lada models and use them to take the brand in a higher price segment - "much more than a million rubles," said company president Nicolas Mohr.

"From 2023 to 2026, we will be entering a cycle of updating the model range. <...> Lada will not only be a fairly affordable brand for consumers, but also a brand that delivers good performance to consumers for the money," he said ...

At the same time, Mor specified that AvtoVAZ will keep models of the low price segment in its lineup.

He also said that the company is deeply modernizing its production sites. "This also applies to production in Togliatti and Izhevsk , but it also concerns the modernization of our engineering base," said the top manager. In particular, it was previously announced that production would be transferred to a single assembly platform for Renault-Nissan CMF-B.

According to plans announced at the beginning of the year, AvtoVAZ will launch four new car models on the Russian market, which should enter the market by 2025, including a new generation of the Niva SUV in 2024.

AvtoVAZ produces full-cycle vehicles and components for two brands - Lada and Renault. The facilities are located in Togliatti - JSC AvtoVAZ, JSC Lada Zapad Togliatti, as well as in Izhevsk - LLC Lada Izhevsk. Lada brand products consist of five families: Vesta, Xray, Largus, Granta and Niva. The brand is the leader in the Russian automotive market with a market share of over 20% and is represented in more than 20 countries. By the end of 2020, the company's sales in the Russian market amounted to 343.5 thousand cars (minus five percent by 2019).

https://ria.ru/20210621/avtovaz-1737841708.html