ErAZ or Yerevanskiy Avtomobilny Zavod (, ), was an Armenian automobile manufacturer in
Yerevan,
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
, mostly known for producing the
van RAF-977K (as ErAZ-762) from 1966 to 1996. Plans to establish the ErAZ factory came about on December 31, 1964, by the
Council of Ministers of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The original staff were trained at the
Riga Autobus Factory in
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
and
UAZ in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. ErAZ was privatized in 1995, and declared bankruptcy in 2002.
History
The company started 31 December 1964, with ''
Minavtoprom'' (the Soviet agency responsible for the
automotive industry
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, Maintenance, repairing, and Custom car, modification of motor ve ...
, to
licence-produce the RAF-977 at a local
forklift plant). In 1965, the first team of 66 people was created and in the beginning to serve
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n and
Ukrainian manufacturers.
[Thompson, p. 193.] On 10 September 1965, the company moved to its first factory. The first vehicle, known as the ErAZ-762 (known as ''Yeraz''
ream, was built 1 May 1966, assembling parts produced elsewhere.
Production the first year was 1000 of the plant's design capacity of 2,500 vehicles per year.
Early products had payloads of and . They are vans and furgons, which were produced for the needs of the Armenian country and other republics in
USSR.
The company built an improved ErAZ-762A beginning in 1969.
Production climbed to 6,500 a year by 1973, and reached 12,000 in 1975, due to installation of a genuine
assembly line, one of the Soviet Union's first of its kind.
ErAZ designers began work on an all-new van, the ErAZ-3730, in 1971, following the lead of the
Commer and
Dodge Walk Thru.
The first trials models were assembled in 1976; they never entered production, due to a lack of funds.
The ErAZ-762B appeared in 1976. In April 1982, the company produced its 100,000-th vehicle.
In 1997, the company
was declared bankrupt by a court decision.
[Один из районных судов Армении принял решение о признании банкротом Ереванского автомобильного завода // журнал « За рулём», № 10, 1997. стр.13]
Models
*ErAZ-762 (762A, 762B, 762AIV, 762VAR)
(1966-1996)
*ErAZ-3218
[ (1977-2002)
*ErAZ-3730][ (1995-2002)
]
Gallery
File:RAF-977front.jpg, ErAZ-762VGP, based upon the RAF-977 minibus
File:ErAZ-762 2018 stamp of Armenia.jpg, ErAZ-762 on a 2018 stamp
References
Further reading
*Thompson, Andy (2008). ''Cars of the Soviet Union''. Haynes Publishing, Somerset, UK. .
External links
ErAZ fan page
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{{coord, 40, 12, 43, N, 44, 31, 40, E, type:landmark_region:AM, display=title
1960s cars
1970s cars
1980s cars
1990s cars
Motor vehicle manufacturers of the Soviet Union
Motor vehicle manufacturers of Armenia
Armenian companies established in 1964
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1964
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 2002