Iconic Soviet car brand makes a comeback

Assembly of new gasoline and electric Moskvich vehicles has begun at a plant in Moscow

Russia relaunched production of an updated version of the iconic Soviet-era car brand Moskvich at a former Renault plant in Moscow on Wednesday.

It marks the first time in over two decades that the brand has been produced at the revived Moscow Automobile Plant Moskvich. Together with its new partner Kamaz, the manufacturer has set a target of producing 100,000 vehicles annually, including electric cars.

The first 600 cars are expected to come off the production line in December and, according to Kamaz, 200 of them will be electric. The new models will be completely different from the original Moskvich and will reportedly have a Chinese design.

“The task for the near future is to establish small-node assembly processes with the involvement of local suppliers by the end of 2023,” Russia’s Trade Minister Denis Manturov said in a statement.

The factory in Moscow, which was established in 1930, was the original producer of Moskvich cars back in Soviet times. In the early 2000s, Renault bought the plant and the Moskvich line was discontinued. However, this past May, the French automaker handed the plant over to Moscow authorities amid the company’s exit from Russia due to sanctions. Shortly afterwards, the plant’s name was changed back to Moskvich.

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