Where is Russia's great car?

By Kirill Bessonov on mnweekly.ru

If you ask a Westerner his opinion about Russian cars you will most likely hear the following joke: Lada engineers suggested a new anti-theft device for their products - an enlarged logo plate. And these jokes usually date back to the Soviet era.

Paradoxically, Russia has a proven track record of high-tech achievements in various other spheres. Russia's space program is out of this world (NASA has just extended the contract with Roskosmos to deliver crews and cargo to the ISS with Russian spacecraft); Russian weapons - from rifles to combat jets to submarines - are very popular on the international market, where Russia trails only the US in total volume of exports. This begs the question as to why a developed, high-tech nation cannot provide its citizens with decent cars - and then export them abroad.

The Moscow News asked the press service of the Russia's biggest carmaker, OAO AvtoVAZ, for their comments.

When asked why Russian cars are not popular with Western buyers, AvtoVAZ said this was not a correct assumption. They do not supply many cars to the West because domestic sales are viewed as the priority.

"The market demand patterns are different. And we soberly tend to work, where we can meet the demand," the press service wrote in a letter.

AvtoVAZ also said that the West still regarded Russian cars as descendants of the outdated 1970's Italian-designed Fiat 124. For a long time this was true, so today, as with any commercial product, AvtoVAZ-made cars need to regain western consumer confidence and effectively appeal to western standards.

AvtoVAZ staff were defensive about questions on the quality and reliability of Russian cars - a big concern for foreign buyers. The company's press service pointed out that their brand was not the only one criticized for lack of quality, and that much of this criticism was a legacy of Soviet times.

"Much of today's impression of Russian-made cars is based on a long tradition of Zhighuli cars being the only option available. AvtoVAZ-made cars have traditionally been a ‘people's car' in Russia. And they are still perceived this way. Most Russian motorists had at least one Russian-made car in their lives on the road" the statement to The Moscow News reads. "So, these cars, like an old spouse, are both hated and cherished by the Russians," the press service wrote.

A question about how Russia could match the quality of their Japanese competitors also produced a nimble swerve from the press office. AvtoVAZ said that their latest models, Lada Kalina and Lada Priora, were a "real giant step forward for Russian car making industry" and that production quality is due to step up another gear in the near future.

"Russia now has both the ability and the technology needed to produce a high-quality car. With many leading world carmakers localizing production here, bringing the best technologies, innovations, best practice etc. to this country, Russia will soon have enough suppliers' facilities and an experienced workforce to produce a high-quality model of its own. "

Not surprisingly, the car makers were optimistic that they were on the fast track to success, but an independent car industry expert, who asked to remain anonymous, was concerned that car production was stuck in a traffic jam. He suggested that the quality of Russian cars was indeed low and blamed the legacy of the Soviet Union for that, saying that all industry giants were built in Soviet times and had inherited the attitudes of that era.

"The emphasis was on the defense industry; consumer goods received almost no funding in the planned economy and could not develop. This is not only a problem for car makers. Russia is not famous for other products, for example, its television sets."

At the same time, our source revealed a little known, but real fact - Russia was among the few pioneers of the revolutionary rotor engine, similar to those found in the Mazda RX8 sports car. These tough engines were installed in Ladas that were used by police and special services. But in the 1990s, the plant started to make the product available for mass consumption as well. Sadly, their flaws became obvious - the gas-guzzling engine, while superb in performance, was expensive to run and required a costly overhaul after less then 50,000 kilometers. As it turned out, few mechanics could perform the repairs. All these factors led to the closure of the project - the first really great Russian car turned out to be too much of a problem for the average motorist.

However, for anybody who wants a decent Russian car should consider the sports version of the new Lada Kalina, our source said. Lada has its own factory teams competing in almost all branches of motor sports - from autocross to ice races. As required by the rules of sports, to qualify a car for automobile races the factory must produce at least 2,500 models.

Russia's latest entrant in this field is the Lada Kalina Sport, which has a 1.6 liter 16-valve engine, disc breaks, altered suspension and sports seats, as well as an aerodynamic body kit.

The Lada Kalina Sport is not officially exported, but real fans can try their luck and buy it in Russia - prices are around 300,000 rubles or about $11,000.

By Kirill Bessonov

from: http://mnweekly.ru/national/20081205/55359969.html