This year at AvtoVAZ is not only an anniversary, but also a time of anxiety, excitement and … hope.
In recent years, the huge plant was in a fever, the main conveyor was stopped several times; every now and then there were problems with the sale, with the supply of components. At the end of 2005, a new team of managers came to the enterprise, and over the past months there have been many changes. And at the end of May at the meeting of shareholders, the plant managers announced concrete plans - how the largest domestic automaker will develop in the coming years, what new models it will offer to customers, what measures it will take to maintain its position in the Russian and world markets.
The first months are already yielding results. In January-April 2006, car production increased by 1.6% (compared with the same period last year), domestic sales increased by 7.9%. For the first quarter, net profit increased by 83%. And again: from the beginning of the year, the amount of losses, shortages and thefts decreased by 216 million rubles! But this is only the beginning.
The Board of Directors approved a new long-term plan for the development of production at AvtoVAZ. It provides for the gradual withdrawal from the market of cars of the "classic" family, the "Lada-110" and "Lada-Samara" families, an increase in production volumes of the "Lada-Kalina" up to 300, 000 units. per year, the development and production launch of new models of classes B, C since 2009, as well as class D cars and all-terrain vehicles since 2011. In general, the total AvtoVAZ production by 2012 may reach 1.3 million cars per year. The total capital investment for updating the lineup and power units will be about $ 4.5 billion. Now the STC is already actively working on a promising new class C car (read about it in ЗР, 2006, No. 5 - I. М.).
“In May, we already conducted a crash test, which confirmed our calculations and convinced us that we were moving in the right direction,” said Igor Yesipovsky, AvtoVAZ Director General. - Now, not only work is underway on a new platform, but the entire base of components that are “hung” on this platform is being formed. This process in our country is complex, difficult, requiring a detailed study of all current and prospective partners from the standpoint of quality, the availability of modern technologies, as well as their ability to work stably in large volumes.
Today AvtoVAZ has many unsolved problems so far; the main one is the lack of modern engines.
“Because of this, we cannot fully satisfy the market demand for Lada cars,” explains V. Artyakov, Chairman of the Board of Directors. - But we have already decided on the concept of the development of the power unit. Both the modernization of existing production and the construction of new facilities are needed. This will ensure the production of new Class C cars with modern power units and increase the production of current production models. We have our own development of the engine and gearbox, we received a positive conclusion on them from such companies as AVL, Federal Mogul, Porsche. We focus on the fact that these units will be their own, but we will carry out their refinement to the required level in cooperation with world manufacturers.
All this, of course, is tempting, but just how much can all this affect the final price of cars? AvtoVAZ always had its own niche - inexpensive, not too reliable, but simple cars that were easily repaired in the Russian outback. For this, buyers were ready to forgive even some flaws in quality. It is interesting whether the new cars that are being developed at AvtoVAZ will remain in their usual niche or at the factory in Togliatti are now oriented towards a completely different owner.
