How a new "Moskvich" with a Chinese soul is being sold to Russians

The word "Muscovite" can evoke nostalgic feelings in many. The author of the material has an image of his father's Moskvich-2140 sky-blue color, and a persistent smell of gasoline immediately appears in his nose, which absolutely could not be eroded from the cabin. Therefore, any trip in an elegant sedan very quickly turned into torment. But so much time has passed since then that the Moskvich tables have almost been forgotten. It had to be revived under the pressure of sanctions and the mass exodus of automakers from Russia.

Now the Moskvich brand is gradually returning to our lives after many years of oblivion. Dealers of the new brand have already appeared in major cities. We went to one of the salons to see how the revived brand is now being sold. We deliberately rest on the word "brand". So far, Moskvich is a Chinese JAC JS4, which is hastily assembled from machine kits at the metropolitan plant, the former Renault, the former AZLK. From the domestic he has only nameplates and the ERA-GLONASS system. Everything else is from China. They promise deeper localization over time. But so far, even the dealer positions the car as "the cheapest among the Chinese".

A rather motley company has gathered in the KIA salon: used and new KIA and Hyundai are interspersed, the Chinese Haval came here for THAT. Previously unheard of tolerance for competitor brands. The "Muscovites" are still huddled in the far corner, and are not immediately visible. Next to the Moskvich 3 we are interested in is an electric Moskvich 3e. This beast is even more mysterious, the price gives it a special secret – they ask for 3.5 million rubles for a train. The gasoline version in the cabin is represented by one option – for 2.035 million rubles.

- Variator, supercharged engine, 150 horsepower, for tax documents – 149, - explains the seller.- And if I have turbophobia? How long do these engines and boxes live?

– we ask the manager.- In general, it is difficult to say anything about the operation, you know, the model has just appeared, but in China they are given an 8-year warranty. So everything is fine, - the manager was found.

The new model has already been given to journalists and bloggers to study, and many agreed that it is difficult to say something bright about the model. The car is what is called a statistical average, which in general is not bad.

You can find fault with the gaps between the body elements, you can pay attention to attempts to hide cheap plastic in the cabin under eco-leather overlays. The glossy touch control panel of the audio system and climate control catches the eye. Dust and fingerprints are collected very quickly on this one. But all this is not fatal. But there are rear-view cameras, parking sensors, keyless start, a lot of electronics.

- There is cruise control, ABS, stability control system, - says the dealer's representative, - not like in the new priors.The Moskvich belongs to the class of compact crossovers. The key word is compact.

A correspondent of Novye Izvestia with a height of 176 and not the most athletic form in a winter jacket at the wheel of a Moskvich fit, but not with the comfort that you expect from a crossover. The landing is high, commanding, but you need to get used to the narrowness of the driver's seat. Behind the seat – you will not run away. Rather for children or two small adults. But additional air ducts and USB connectors have been removed for them. The trunk is 520 liters, you can fold the seats and increase the useful volume to more than 1000. What they forgot about was adapting to Russian conditions. There is no seat heating, but specifically our dealer suggested installing it together with an additional security system. Even under the hood is not a very powerful battery, but instead of full protection – plastic. Iron is more reliable in our realities.

On the road, the Moskvich is quite comfortable. The steering wheel is responsive, the suspension tolerates irregularities (how long will it last?), the dynamics for the urban mode are quite enough, the high landing is also a plus. The brand effect also plays, people pay attention to the car, even take pictures. But as soon as Moskvich enters taxi companies and carsharing, the charm will quickly pass.

In general, the car has a good chance, if not for success, then for the interest of drivers. But now everything is evaluated through the prism of price. And she – a little over two million rubles. A year ago, for this amount, you could buy a Skoda Kodiaq in a very tasty configuration. And this is a completely different car. It is very difficult to get rid of these thoughts in a conversation with an employee of the credit department.

- If you hand over your car to a trade-in, there will be a discount of 200 thousand rubles, - says the manager.If you bring a conditional Logan to the salon for 600 thousand, it will cover a third of the price of the new Moskvich. The remaining two-thirds are on credit.

For five years – a payment of 40,000 per month. For seven years – 33,000. CASCO – 90,000 per year. Maybe they forgot to tell them that there is a crisis in the country?

Is there an alternative to Moskvich? Yes, but the choice is not rich, for example, you can consider other Chinese: Changan CS35 Plus (from 1,899,900 rubles), Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (from 2,049,900 rubles) and Geely Coolray (from 2,299,990 rubles) or turn to the secondary market, there within 2 million it is quite possible to find fresh crossovers Kia Seltos, Renault Captur or Duster, Hyundai Creta.

How "Moskvich" came to such a life

The history of Moskvich begins in the late 20s, when the Gorky Automobile Plant was launched in the USSR with the technical support of Ford. At the same time, they decided to build an assembly site in Moscow, where they initially assembled models A and AA from original Ford components. Then we switched to components produced in Gorky. After 1945, its own brand "Moskvich" appeared. Probably the best preserved in memory are the small outwardly similar sedans 408, 412, 2140 and their modifications. Collectively, they were produced according to various estimates under three million pieces. "Muscovites" actively exported, participated in car races.

In the 90s, the plant could not save itself. New models were produced: 2141, 2142, "Svyatogor". They put engines on them, then from VAZ, then from Renault. But they were not successful. For some time the plant was still producing spare parts and was rapidly dying. At the beginning of the zero AZLK – that was the name of the plant by that time - went into bankruptcy. The equipment was sold off, the territory was partially built up. The brand turned out to be owned by the VAG concern.

But at the same time, a new life was born on the territory of the enterprise. Formally a separate company "Avtoframos" (later "Renault Russia") since 1998, it has occupied part of the territory, and in 2005 it began production of Renault Logan. Until recently, more than 100 thousand cars of the French brand were produced here per year. But at the beginning of 2022, the company announced its withdrawal from the country against the background of political events. The production facilities were transferred for one ruble to the Moscow government, which decided to restart the already forgotten brand.

There were many versions around how Moskvich would be relaunched, Chinese and Iranian brands that would enter into partnership with the new enterprise were named. This information was refuted, but in the end, it became clear that the donor for "Moskvich" will be quite old JAC JS4. The company's management promises to increase the percentage of localization in the future (now it tends to zero). In addition, the authorities promise to organize demand for the new model through mass purchases for taxis, carsharing and parks of state institutions.

There were many versions around how Moskvich would be relaunched, Chinese and Iranian brands that would enter into partnership with the new enterprise were named. This information was refuted, but in the end, it became clear that the donor for "Moskvich" will be quite old JAC JS4. The company's management promises to increase the percentage of localization in the future (now it tends to zero). In addition, the authorities promise to organize demand for the new model through mass purchases for taxis, carsharing and parks of state institutions.

Expert opinion: "They will buy it for two million"

"The car itself is not bad, I drove it, it is well controlled, it drives well, it is economical, it is not bad in the cabin. but this is a purely Chinese model with a zero level of localization, which will be difficult to say further, although they promise a frenzied pace of localization," says auto expert Igor Morzharetto, "the car is pleasant, and the parameters are equal to Hyundai Creta. As an alternative, it is not bad, although there is no official price. The car is already on sale, but there are no parameters, no complete sets, no prices on the manufacturer's website. And it's weird. I think the first batches are designed for corporate sales, today it was announced that Yandex is purchasing 3,000 cars, the first customers will be the structures of the Moscow City Hall, the Moscow City Duma and other divisions. The unofficial price of 2 million is a normal price for the market, so it has developed. Competitors that are actually sold in the country are slightly more expensive.