30 years of life "Niva»

The idea of ??production at the Volga Automobile Plant-wheel drive vehicle "for the laborers of the village," belongs to the chairman of the Council of Ministers Alexei Kosygin. He expressed it in the summer of 1970. But the story of "live" car with the name "Field" began in 1973. The first two cars E-2121, manufactured in the early 70s at the WHA had discovered the body. As the power plant was used only appeared that the 1.6-liter engine. At trial, both E-2121 proved to be a good side, so work on them continued. However, in the process of preparing a second series of experimental samples in the WGC was a small technological revolution: instead of an open body, promising polnoprivodnik received ... indoor, all-metal! At the same time machine has its own name - "Field." It was in 1973. Four prototypes of the E-2121 with all-metal body has successfully completed the full cycle of tests on avtopoligone NAMI, the Russian off-road, as well as in Central Asian deserts and mountain passes of the Pamir-Altai. Because the third series of cars were immediately submitted to the state tests, which resulted in the "Niva" was recognized as "suitable for putting on the production and export deliveries." In 1976, the WHA was collected first experimental-industrial batch of 50 cars VAZ-2121, and the following year began mass production of the "Field". The success of the SUV AVTOVAZ was simply stunning, not only in "rural workers", and not only in our country! "Field" immediately won international recognition, and successfully sold to many countries and to this day. In the mid-90s of last century, it became clear that the "Field" should be seriously upgraded. The team SEC VAZ successfully coped with this task, preparing for the production model VAZ-2123, which proved so successful that it drew the attention of foreign producers. And now a year since former "twenty-third" made in a joint venture "GM-AvtoVAZ" under the name "Chevrolet-Niva." Novelty is a great success, but the design idea is not reassured. VAZ specialists in close collaboration with leading foreign companies (ITDC, Opel, SAAB, Lotus, Breed, Aisin Delphi, etc.) are already working on an updated version of the machine, which will be equipped with an integral power unit, ie engine, gearbox changes gear and transfer case are combined into one unit. Its construction has already made more than 1,200 engineering changes that will make the car much more secure, reliable and convenient. On the export version of the new SUV, which with the fall of 2004 will be on sale, the installation of the engine Opel "Ecotech" with a volume of 1,8 L, Japanese Gearbox, the new transfer case, ABS, air conditioning, two airbags safety. Under the plan, the production joint venture "GM - AvtoVAZ" in 2004 must be made 60 000 vehicles "Chevrolet-Niva" including - in the new version. These cars will be sold on the Russian market, and eksprtirovatsya. So life "Niva" on the 30-year mark does not stop, but only gets a new impetus to its development.