The Lada Azimut crossover will be shown in showrooms in October, and production cars will arrive at dealerships in November. The model aims to be among the top three leaders of the brand and can account for at least 10% of sales, Autostat reported.
Serial production of Azimut started in Tolyatti on September 25. In the first stage, the crossover will receive naturally aspirated engines of its own production: a 1.6-liter with 120 horsepower and a 1.8-liter with 132 horsepower. Transmissions are a 6-speed manual or a variator. In 2027, the range will be expanded with a 150-horsepower turbo engine with a classic automatic transmission. The hybrid version will receive a traction battery of Russian production. The main competitors are Haval Jolion, Tenet T4L, and Belgee X50.
The advantages of Azimut are adaptation to Russian winters, including heating of the side front windows, availability of spare parts, and low operating costs. Production has started, but AvtoVAZ has not yet announced prices. According to the company's management, they will start from the minimum boundary of the segment.
For AvtoVAZ, this is the first crossover in its history. The focus on the crossover and SUV segment is logical: the demand for such cars in Russia is high. If the model takes the stated 10% of the brand's sales, it will enter the top three bestsellers. But customer trust in the new product still needs to be earned – competitors from China have already established themselves in the market.