GM-AVTOVAZ, a joint venture between General Motors and Russian Auto Manufacturer AVTOVAZ, has announced the achievement of producing 350,000 Chevrolet NIVA SUVs.
Coated in the Milky Way (blue black metallic) hue, the 350,000th Chevy NIVA rolled off the Togliatti, Russia assembly line in January, with the buyer of the milestone-setting 4×4 receiving a personal letter from GM-AVTOVAZ Managing Director Jeffrey Glover as well as a branded T-shirt.
The first Chevrolet NIVA came off the line in September 2002 and has become a very popular choice of motorists in the Russian Federation as well as the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). The rugged SUV that was originally designed for the tough Tundra climate has contributed to the subsequent development and popularity of the Chevrolet brand in the markets — familiarizing buyers with the bow tie brand.
The NIVA’s only powertrain, a 1.7 liter four-banger mated to a five speed manual driving all four wheels (constant 4×4), makes a whopping 80 horsepower and 94 lb.-ft. of torque, the setup being a carry-over from the NIVA produced by AVTOVAZ before the GM joint venture.
GM-AVTOVAZ produced nearly 37,000 vehicles in 2010, a 61 percent year-over-year increase from 2011 levels, and expects that number to grow to 52,000 units in 2011. The distribution networks consists of 150 dealers in the Russian Federation as well as 8 dealers and 3 distributors in CIS.
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Comments
I think it’s time for redesign and more powerful power plant. perhaps a diesel version.
I’m not sure they can spend much in the redesign since they’re keeping costs down to serve the ‘mainstream” Russian/CIS customers. It was just given a facelift in 2010 by Bertone inside and out — and I think the average Russian driver would look at its low price and appreciate the design-price-function value.