AvtoVAZ announced that it will showcase the modernized Lada Niva Legend SUV on the first day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Details are still kept secret, but it is already known that the model has received a significant set of technical and ergonomic improvements.
The AvtoVAZ statement says that the Lada Niva Legend remains a legendary model. The company promises to reveal exactly what changes will appear in the car on June 3.
According to specialized media, one of the main expected changes is a new VAZ-11184 gasoline engine with a volume of 1.8 liters. The Lada Niva Travel has already received such an engine, and for the Niva Legend, it is called a more powerful replacement for the previous 1.7-liter unit. Serial production of the Niva Legend with this unit was planned for May–June 2026.
A serious update of the Lada Niva Legend already took place at the turn of 2019–2020. Then the SUV received a heavily redesigned interior: a new front panel, a different heater control unit, a more comfortable floor tunnel with cup holders, modified seats, ceiling, and an ERA-GLONASS unit.
In 2024, AvtoVAZ updated the lighting of the Lada Niva Legend. The car received LED daytime running lights: they became 50% brighter, and the parking lights became 2.5 times brighter.
There is also interest in Russian "Nivas" outside the country. Dmitry Cherkashin, the Consul General of Russia in Austria, said that in 2026, Russian "Niva" cars and motorcycles were presented at an exhibition in Salzburg dedicated to hunting and outdoor activities.