Moskvitch or Moskvich () (also written as ''Moskvich'', ''Moskvič'', or ''Moskwitsch'') is a Soviet/Russian

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

produced by

AZLK AZLK (''АЗЛК - Автомобильный завод имени Ленинского Комсомола'' in Russian language, Russian, Avtomobilny Zavod imeni Leninskogo Komsomola) is a Soviet and Russian automobile manufacturer (Moscow), t ...

from 1946 to 1991 and by OAO Moskvitch from 1991 to 2001. Production later resumed in 2022. The current article incorporates information about both the brand and the

joint-stock A joint-stock company (JSC) is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholder ...

successor of AZLK. OAO Moskvitch is the name of a

privatized Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...

venture given to the former factory to avoid legal issues after the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

in 1991. Since the factory had no assembly branches outside Russia after 1991, its name is largely used today to refer to the building located in the lower eastern part of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. The word ''moskvich'' () itself translates as "a native of Moscow, a Moscovite". It was used to point out the original location of the cars manufactured there.

History

Early history

The Soviet Union initiated a series of

five-year plans Five-year plan may refer to: Nation plans * Five-year plans of the Soviet Union, a series of nationwide centralized economic plans in the Soviet Union * Five-Year Plans of Argentina, under Peron (1946–1955) * Five-Year Plans of Bhutan, a series ...

in 1928 under the rule of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

. The goal of the plans was to rapidly industrialise the economy of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. These plans included provisions for developing domestic automobile production. It was assumed that by improving the quality of life for the affected citizens and providing them with the opportunity to learn to drive during peacetime, they would constitute a cadre of trained drivers for the

Red army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

in the event of armed conflict. Industrial cooperation between

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 ...

and the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

dated back to the era of

Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

, with the company being an important supplier of passenger and commercial vehicles such as tractors and trucks. This cooperation persisted despite the events and ideology of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, with tens of thousands of vehicles imported during the 1910s and 1920s. This was deemed necessary due to the devastation of the state and its economic output following the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, occupation of Russian territories by the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

, and the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. The construction of the Moscow Car Assembly Factory () began in 1929. In December 1930, the plant received the name of KIM (Factory named after Communist Youth International) , from 1930 to 1939 its official name was Moscow Car Assembly Factory named after KIM () and then from 1939 until the beginning of the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

it was called Moscow Car Factory named after KIM (). KIM-10-50 sedan1940

In 1930, the

licensed production Licensed production is the production under license of technology developed elsewhere. The licensee provides the licensor of a specific product with legal production rights, technical information, process technology, and any other proprietary compo ...

of Ford Model A and

Ford Model AA Ford Model AA is a truck from Ford. As the Model T and TT became obsolete and needed to be replaced, Henry Ford began initial designs on the Model A and Model AA in 1926. Basic chassis layout was done rapidly and mechanical development wa ...

vehicles began. These were assembled using

knock-down kit A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, and then exported to another country or r ...

s. In 1933, the plant became a branch of

GAZ Gaz may refer to: Geography *Gaz, Kyrgyzstan Iran * Gaz, Darmian, village in South Khorasan province * Gaz, Golestan, a village in Bandar-e Gaz County * Gaz, Hormozgan, a village in Minab County * Gaz, Kerman, a village * Gaz, North Khorasan, a ...

and began to assemble

GAZ-A The GAZ-A is a passenger car that was mass-produced by GAZ from 1932 until 1936. It was the first passenger car to be produced in the Soviet Union and is a near-exact copy of the Ford Model A (1927-1931), Ford Model A from 1930. To the local popula ...

and

GAZ-AA The GAZ-AA is a truck produced at the GAZ, Gorky Auto Plant in the Soviet Union from 1932 to 1938, and was the factory's first truck produced under the ''GAZ'' brand. Russian-speakers often refer to it as a ''polutorka'' () - meaning "one-and-a ha ...

vehicles. In 1939, KIM was no longer a subsidiary of GAZ and in the following year it started to produce their first own model, the KIM 10 inspired by the

Ford Prefect The Ford Prefect is a line of British cars which was produced by Ford UK between 1938 and 1961 as an upmarket version of the Ford Popular and Ford Anglia small family cars. It was introduced in October 1938 and remained in production until ...

. The plant's newly formed design department was headed by A. N. Ostrovtsev, an engineer from the NAMI, and tasked by the Economic Committee of

Sovnarkom The Council of People's Commissars (CPC) (), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (), were the highest executive authorities of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), the Soviet Union (USSR), and the Soviet republics from 1917 ...

with designing a small economy car suitable for large scale manufacture. From November 1940 to April 1941, 338 sedans were assembled. Exact production numbers for the phaeton version are unknown.

Great Patriotic War

In May 1941 the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

subjected a

KIM-10 {{Infobox automobile , image = File:KIM-10-50 Moscow museum of transport.jpg , name = KIM-10 , manufacturer = KIM , production = 1940—1941 , layout = FR layout , predecessor = NAMI-1 Ford Model A , succe ...

to a series of tests, including in road conditions varying from the newly built Moscow-Minsk Highway to rural mud roads and off-road. Despite the official “mostly satisfactory” mark, the car proved to be unsuited to the requirements of the military service. In October, 1941 the plant was hastily evacuated to Ural. Most of the manufacturing equipment was abandoned or destroyed during the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II, between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated H ...

. In 1944, with a Soviet Victory imminent, plans were in place to continue production of the

KIM-10-52 KIM-10 was the first Automotive industry in the Soviet Union, Soviet Compact car, small car designed for large-scale mass production. History The very first passenger car designed in the Soviet Union, the NAMI-1, was supposed to combine the si ...

First generation

In August 1945, the plant was renamed to the Moscow Plant of Small Cars (MZMA) (). Moskvitch 1955 IMG 2813 C

Following the war, the Soviet Union requested vehicle tooling and designs from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

as part of war reparations, to compensate for the loss of industrial equipment in the

. Soviet planners wished for a car similar in specifications to the KIM 10, and as such rejected the KdF-Wagen and

DKW F8 The DKW F8 is a compact car, compact front-wheel drive two-stroke engined sedan (automobile), saloon, introduced in 1939.Odin, L.C. ''World in Motion 1939 - The whole of the year's automobile production''. Belvedere Publishing, 2015. ASIN: B00ZLN9 ...

. The Opel Kadett K38 was found to match these requirements. In August 1945, the

State Defense Committee The State Defense Committee () was an extraordinary organ of state power in the Soviet Union during the German-Soviet War, also called the Great Patriotic War, with complete state power in the country. General scope The Soviets set up the GKO ...

published Order No. 9905, which prescribed the start of production of the

Kadett Kadett corresponds to cadet in English and is a term used in Sweden to denote officer candidates studying in order to become an officer. There are basically two ways to become officer as described below. Specialist Officers (SO) Direct recruitmen ...

, under the Moskvitch-400 name. The implementation of this order was however deeply complicated. The

Opelwerk Brandenburg The Opelwerk Brandenburg was a truck vehicle assembly plant, located in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany. Built within seven months, it was opened by Adam Opel AG in November 1935 on the re-armament initiative of the Nazi government in order to ...

plant had been deeply involved in the

Nazi German Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

war effort, producing aircraft engines for the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

, and had been heavily damaged by Allied bombing. However, a number of Kadetts had been captured by the Red Army and were available for study, and was accomplished through joint Soviet-German ventures overseen by the

Soviet Military Administration in Germany The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (; ''Sovyetskaya Voyennaya Administratsiya v Germanii'', SVAG; , SMAD) was the Soviet military government, headquartered in Berlin- Karlshorst, that directly ruled the Soviet occupation zone in German ...

. Nonetheless, the majority of stamping dies and tooling were freshly produced in the

due to the amount of damage to the factory. Production of the

Moskvitch 400-420 The Moskvitch 400-420 is a car that was introduced in 1947 by the Soviet manufacturer Moskvitch. Background In 1940 and 1941 500 units of the KIM-10-50, the first Soviet compact car, were produced. It was inspired by the similar-sized four-doo ...

began in December 1946, and continued for ten years until 1956 with the improved

Moskvitch 401 The Moskvitch 400-420 is a automobile, car that was introduced in 1947 by the Soviet Union, Soviet manufacturer Moskvitch. Background In 1940 and 1941 500 units of the KIM-10-50, the first Soviet compact car, were produced. It was inspired by th ...

. In total 247,439 400 and 401 models had been built, with some being exported to countries such as

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Second generation

MZMA replaced the 400 and 401 with new designs starting in 1956, developed within the Soviet Union. This marked the second generation of production vehicles for the enterprise. This started with the

Moskvitch 402 The Moskvitch 402 is a compact car manufactured by the former Soviet automobile maker MZMA, first time introduced in 1956 as a second generation of the Moskvitch series. In comparison with its predecessor, the Moskvitch 401, Moskvitch-401, the M-4 ...

, followed on by upgraded variants in the form of the Moskvitch 403 and

Moskvitch 407 The Moskvitch 402 is a compact car manufactured by the former Soviet automobile maker MZMA, first time introduced in 1956 as a second generation of the Moskvitch series. In comparison with its predecessor, the Moskvitch-401, the M-402 model featu ...

, which featured improvements such as independent suspension, improved interior and radio included, comparable to models such as the

Hillman Minx The Hillman Minx was a mid-sized family car that British car maker Hillman produced from 1931 to 1970. There were many versions of the Minx over that period, as well as badge engineered variants sold by Humber, Singer, and Sunbeam. From the ...

Fiat 1100 The Fiat 1100 is a small family car produced from 1953 until 1969 by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. It was an all-new unibody replacement for the Fiat 1100 E, which descended from the pre-war, body-on-frame Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100. The 1100 was ...

, and

Ford Consul The Ford Consul is a car that was manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1951 until 1962. The name was later revived for a model produced by Ford in both the UK and in Germany from 1972 until 1975. Between 1951 and 1962, the Consul was the four-c ...

. The

series could be considered as the first step in Soviet and Russian automotive history towards producing adapted models for various use cases. While the

provided greater driving comfort at larger expenses, other trim levels included the Moskvitch 407-424 station wagon available for the general public, Moskvitch 431 van and even the Moskvitch 410/411 attempt of creating an early off-road sedan/station wagon. The M-407 was the first Soviet automotive export to be truly successful in the

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

. Up to half of all

production was reserved for export, mainly to the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

countries,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Third generation

The 1960s bought about a third generation of cars, with the more advanced

Moskvitch 408 The Moskvitch-408 (also referred to as the Moskvich-408, and M-408) series is a small family car produced by the Soviet Union, Soviet car manufacturer MZMA/AZLK between 1964 and 1975. The first prototype was made in 1960. The M-408, the first of ...

Moskvitch 412 The Moskvitch 412 (Moskvich 412, Москвич-412, M-412) is a small family car produced by Soviet Union, Soviet/Russian manufacturer MZMA/AZLK in Moscow from 1967 to 1975, and by IZh in Izhevsk from 1967 to 1982 (also known as IZh-412). It was ...

and

Moskvitch 2140 The Moskvitch 2140 series () is a small family car produced by Soviet automotive maker AZLK from January 1976 to 1988. It started first as Moskvitch 2138 and Moskvitch 2140 on a modified 412 platform. Pre-production models were shown during 1975 ...

. On May 18, 1967, the company produced its one millionth car. The Moskvitch 408 was the first Soviet-built car to be designed with extra safety features in mind, including crumple zones, safer steering column, soft interior parts, seat belts, a padded dashboard, and a split circuit braking system. The first series of Moskvitch 408 cars had vertical rear lights, two or four round

headlights A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...

, a front bench seat, and a 4-speed

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canadian English, Canada, British English, the United Kingdom and American English, the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed ...

with column mounted

gear lever A gear or gearwheel is a rotating machine part typically used to transmit rotational motion and/or torque by means of a series of teeth that engage with compatible teeth of another gear or other part. The teeth can be integral saliences or ...

. The second generation 408 was produced between 1969 and 1976. It had the same engine and transmission as its predecessor, but an updated body fitted with rectangular headlights and horizontal rear lights, with triangular turn signal markers mounted on tailfins. It additionally included separated bucket seats and the transmission used a floor-mounted gear lever. The 408 was popular due to its good value in countries such as the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

. The

improved on this design with various engine and styling improvements. In 1966 during a visit by

French President The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the pos ...

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

to the

, an agreement was signed between MZMA and

Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...

. Renault would assist in the reconstruction of the plant in Moscow, as well as cooperate in the establishment of a second plant in Izhevsk. In 1969, both the 412 and the related 408 had their bodies redesigned. These were notable for being the first Moskvitch models to feature rectangular headlights and horizontal rear lights. Safety improvements were also incorporated over time, with the Moskvitch 412 meeting the safety standards adopted by the

UNECE The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is an intergovernmental organization or a specialized body of the United Nations. The UNECE is one of five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Econ ...

, and received an international safety certificate as a result of almost five months of tests in

. The 412 was the first Moskvitch vehicle to pass safety-feature tests in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. In October 1968, the name of the factory was changed from MZMA to Automobile Factory in Honour of the Leninist Communist Youth Union (AZLK) (), to mark the 50th anniversary of the

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...

SATRA Satra Corporation was a US trading and metal processing company. It is primarily known in the United Kingdom for its Satra Motors Limited subsidiary, which was the official importer and distributor of Soviet Union cars and motorcycles in that co ...

Motors entered M-412s in the

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

Production Saloon Car Championship in 1972 and 1973, where it easily beat "''sharp-handling but underpowered"'' British

Hillman Imp The Hillman Imp is a small economy car that was made by the Rootes Group and its successor Chrysler Europe from 1963 until 1976. Revealed on 3 May 1963, after much advance publicity, it was the first British mass-produced car with the engine b ...

s and

Austin Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...

s. Further improvements were also made in the form of the Moskvitch 2138 and

, based on a modified

platform.

Fourth generation

In 1986, the Moskvitch-2141 Aleko became available for the first time. It was influenced by the

Simca 1307 The Simca 1307 is a large family car produced by Chrysler Europe and subsequently PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1975 to 1986. Codenamed 'C6' in development, the car was styled in the United Kingdom by Roy Axe and his team at Whitley, and the car w ...

(which had also been badged as the Chrysler/Talbot Alpine, and under other names, in western markets). It was upgraded and restyled during the period of its production. It was powered by the 1.5 L UZAM used in the M-412 model and VAZ-2106 1.6 L in-line, four-cylinder engines, which had by then had been used in several

LADA LadaAccording to various sources, the name Lada is derived from a Russian word for Viking longships (). (, , marketed as LADAFrom 2004 onwards Lada is marketed worldwide, including in Russia, using the all-capitals brand name written in Latin sc ...

models. Aleko was different from any model the factory had made previously; it was larger and more luxurious, made with more comfort,

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

, and

aerodynamics Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...

in mind. The new car had such features as

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

, a

hatchback A hatchback is a car body style, car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to the main interior of the car as a cargo area rather than just to a separated trunk. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second-row sea ...

body style,

MacPherson strut The MacPherson strut is a type of automotive suspension system that uses the top of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in the front suspension of modern vehicles. The name comes from American automotive engineer ...

front suspension and torsion-crank rear

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Car suspension * Cell suspension or suspension culture, in biology * Guarded suspension, a software design pattern in concurrent programming suspending a method call and the calling ...

. It had rack-and-pinion steering and a collapsible

steering column The automotive steering column is a device intended primarily for connecting the steering wheel to the steering mechanism. Secondary functions A steering column may also perform the following secondary functions: *energy dissipation managemen ...

. The 1.8-liter

gasoline engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American and Canadian English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as Autogas, liquefied petroleum gas and Common ...

for the new car was planned, but never materialized, as was also the case with a

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

version. In the early 1990s, AZLK still remained one of the largest auto companies in the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Design and experimental work were prepared to create a new model car ( sedan M-2142) and an engine plant. However, after the

, due to a

financial crisis A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with Bank run#Systemic banki ...

, disruptions in the work of the company, and

financial mismanagement Financial mismanagement is management that, deliberately or not, is handled in a way that can be characterized as "wrong, bad, careless, inefficient or incompetent" and that will reflect negatively upon the financial standing of a business or indi ...

, the engine plant was not finished and the Moskvitch company fell into decline.

OAO Moskvitch

The factory, which had been renamed to OAO Moskvitch (Moskvitch Joint-Stock Company) in the early 1990s, filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

in 2002 and ceased production. Unfinished bodyshells remained on the production line in various stages of completion, while furniture, computers, office supplies, and documents remained in the plant's administration building. Several attempts to restart production had been made over the next 3 years, but none were successful.

Technopolis Moscow Technopolis Moscow is a specialized territory for innovative production development in Moscow, created under the control of SUE Stroyexprom. Development of Technopolis is supervised by the Department of Science, Industrial Policy and Entrep ...

was opened in 2012 on the premises of the factory. A portion of the abandoned plant was acquired by

Avtoframos Renault Russia ( rus, Рено Россия, Reno Rossiya, rʲɪˈno rɐˈsʲijə), known until 2014 as Avtoframos (), was a Russian automotive company established in 1998 by the Moscow city and Renault. It was a wholly owned Renault subsidiary f ...

(later renamed as Renault Russia), a joint venture between the City of Moscow and French automaker

. In 2005, Avtoframos commenced assembly of

Renault Logan Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company currently produces a range of cars and vans. It has ...

sedans from imported

s. It later became a wholly owned subsidiary of Renault. The bankruptcy of OAO Moskvitch was officially announced in 2006, and the company was liquidated the following year. As of 2016, over a million Moskvitch cars remained on Russian roads. In 2015, Renault announced they had begun the process for obtaining the Moskvitch rights in Russia.

JSC Automobile Plant Moskvitch

In May 2022, as a result of international sanctions against Russia, Renault sold its Moscow plant to the Moscow city government which intended to nationalize the facility for renewed production of vehicles under the Moskvitch name. Moskvitch presented its new range of models on July 6, 2022: a sedan and 3 SUVs, Model I having both a fuel version as well as an electric version. The cars have names made up of Roman numerals, from I and II to IV. All models are rebadged cars from Chinese manufacturer JAC. On October 20, the mayor of Moscow,

Sergey Sobyanin Sergey Semyonovich Sobyanin (; born 21 June 1958) is a Russian politician, serving as the 3rd mayor of Moscow since 21 October 2010. Sobyanin previously served as the governor of Tyumen Oblast (2001–2005), Head of the Russian presidential ad ...

, said that the production of Moskvich vehicles will resume in December at Renault's former factory in Moscow, now renamed the ''Moscow Automobile Factory Moskvich'', which has been inactive after Renault decided to leave the Russian market. On December 26, 2022, the Moskvitch 3 and Moskvitch 3e went on sale in Russia, with the JAC JS4 based cars produced in association with truck manufacturer Kamaz. In early 2023, Moskvitch and

Yandex Taxi Yandex Taxi (; stylised as Yandex.Taxi), a division of Yandex, operates a ridesharing company in Russia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Israel and UAE. The Yandex Taxi div ...

signed an agreement of intent to supply 3,000

Moskvitch 3 The Moskvitch 3 (Russian language, Russian: Москви́ч 3) is a compact crossover SUV produced by Moskvitch in Russia since 2022. The vehicle is a locally assembled Rebadging, rebadged version of the Sehol X4 by JAC Motors, produced using Kno ...

, and 2,000

e taxi and car share vehicles. This was followed by the introduction of

vehicles for the car services Citydrive, BelkaCar, Taxovichkof and Citymobil. Furthermore, traffic police in

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...

and Stavropol Krai began to be equipped with Moskvitch 3e electric crossovers. Furthermore, delivery was in progress for traffic police in Moscow City,

Krasnodar Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...

and

Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yenisey, Yenisey River, and is the second-largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk, with a p ...

. In June 2023, Hans Peter Moser was appointed General Manager of Moskvitch, replacing Dmitry Valentinovich Pronin, who would move to the position of chairman of the board of directors. Moser had previously worked for the Russian truck manufacturer Kamaz, as well as the German industrial firm

Knorr-Bremse Knorr-Bremse AG is a German manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles that has operated since 1905. Other products in the company's portfolio include intelligent door systems, control components, air conditioning system ...

. In addition, Moskvitch further announced an expansion of their dealer network to more cities across Russia, as well as the impending release of a new Moskvitch 6 model later in 2023, as well as the Moskvitch 5.

Models

Current models

File:«Москвич 3».jpg,

File:Москвич 3е (04.10.2023).jpg,

e File:Moskvitch-6.jpg, Moskvitch 6 The current model lines of Moskvitch cars are: *

(2022–present) - five door compact crossover. Model I. ** Moskvitch 3e (2022–present) - five door compact battery electric crossover. Model I (Electric). ** Moskvitch 3 Comfort (2023–present) - five door compact crossover with extra safety, styling and interior features. Model I. * Moskvitch 5 (production in 2024) - five door compact crossover. Model II. * Moskvitch 6 (2023–present) - five door compact liftback. Model III. * Moskvitch 8 (2024-present) - seven-seat crossover.

Historic models

Licensed production

Belgium

The

was manufactured in

under the Scaldia name. In 1965, this name was changed to Scaldia-Volga. These vehicles were imported partially built from the

, with their engines and transmission installed after arrival in

. Some of these vehicles were equipped with

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

origin

Perkins Perkins is a surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon corruption of the kin of Pierre (from Pierre kin to Pierrekin to Perkins), introduced into England by the Norman Conquest. It is found throughout mid- and southern England. Another derivation com ...

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

s. The Moskvitch 2141 Aleko was also assembled by Scaldia-Volga for a short period of time.

Bulgaria

and Moskvitch 2141 Aleko models were license produced in

Lovech Lovech (, ) is a city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast from the capital city of Sofia. Near Lovech are the towns of ...

Balkancar Balkancar is a Bulgarian company for research and manufacturing of electrical vehicles for the production industry. History The first electrical driven forklift in Bulgaria was produced in 1951 in the tram and trolleybus factory "September 6 ...

under the

Rila Rila (, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Mountains, Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an e ...

marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

. Some of these vehicles were identical in configuration to those produced by Moskvitch/AZLK, while some, like their Belgian counterparts, made use of

origin

Awards

File:Order of the October Revolution.svg,

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

File:Order of Red Banner of Labor.svg,

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

File:Юбилейный почётный знак.jpg, Honorary Award for the 50th Anniversary of the Soviet Union

References

External links

New Moskvich web-site

OAO «Москвич». Автомобильный завод АЗЛК

Moskwitsch Oldtimer
{{Authority control Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1930 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 2006 Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Russia Soviet automobiles Soviet brands Russian brands Cars of Russia 1930 establishments in Russia 2022 establishments in Russia

History

Early history

Great Patriotic War

First generation

Second generation

Third generation

Fourth generation

OAO Moskvitch

JSC Automobile Plant Moskvitch

Models

Current models

Historic models

Licensed production

Belgium

Bulgaria

Awards

See also

References

External links