Russia resurrects the Volga brand
- After reviving the Moskvitch brand last year (based on models from the Chinese brand JAC), Russia also brought back the Volga brand this year, based on models from the Changan group.
- Three new models were presented this month at an industrial fair located in Nizhni-Novgorod, the city were is located the GAZ plant, the Russian carmaker producing the Volga sedans from 1955 to 2010. The Volga was located in the hierarchy of Russian cars between the discounted Lada and Moskvitch and the premiums Tchaika and ZIL limousines. The Volga was the medium-sized sedan dedicated to administrations, the police, the army, prominent members of the Communist Party, the KGB and business leaders. In 2007, GAZ wanted to renew its range with a derivative of the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus but the model was a flop. GAZ interrupted its own production in 2010 to assemble Volkswagen group models under license.
- After the beginning of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022, GAZ had to interrupt this production by focusing on the production of utility vehicles (GAZelle).
- In 2024, GAZ is cooperating with the Chinese carmaker Changan to produce three different models at its Nizhni Novgorod site: the K30, a C-segment SUV based on the Changan Oshan X5 Plus, launched in 2020; the K40, a D-segment SUV, based on the Changan Oshan Z6, launched in 2021; and the C40, a D-segment sedan based on the Changan Raeton Plus, launched in China in 2022. These models, which differ from the Changan by their front face and their logo, are equipped with 1.5-liter turbo gasoline engines delivering 188 hp.