Russia revives the Moskvich brand, a former Soviet marque

After the departure of many European companies, Russia is trying to keep its productive capacity alive in several sectors, the automotive industry among them. Renault has vacated the factory it had in Moscow, which has been renamed Moskvich Automobile Plant. At this plant the Moskvich brand has been reactivated, and under the KAMAZ umbrella it will begin producing several models for the local market.

Sales of this brand will begin in December and, due to the plant’s late start-up, they expect to assemble 600 units by the end of the year. Of these, 400 vehicles will have combustion engines and the following 200 will have an electric drivetrain.

Support from China

The brand’s launch will not be carried out alone. Apparently, according to information from Reuters, it will be backed by the Chinese brand JAC. Thanks to this agreement, the Russian brand will be able to put the Moskvich 3 on the market, a crossover closely related to the JAC JS4.

The JS4 apparently served as the basis for the Russian model. If that is the case, the Russian compact SUV will feature 1.5- and 1.6-litre engines, with output of up to 148 CV and a maximum torque of 210 Nm. If it follows the line of its Chinese sibling, it will have two 10.25-inch screens, one for the instrument cluster and another for the infotainment system.

For the time being, parts will arrive from China, although the Russian company claims it will gradually increase the share of locally sourced parts so as not to depend heavily on the Chinese giant, though this will not happen until 2024.

The brand intends to also offer an electric variant, which will use a battery and electric drivetrain manufactured in Russia. The plans for 2023 are to reach 50,000 assembled units and to reach 100,000 vehicles in 2024.

According to KAMAZ general director Sergey Kogogin, the brand wants to launch current, environmentally responsible vehicles. The brand’s future is uncertain: its return has come about because of a specific situation, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the road ahead is full of unknowns.