Riga bus factory

Riga bus factory
legal form
founding	1949
resolution	1998
Seat	Riga , Latvia
Branch	Automotive industry

The Rigaer Autobusfabrik ( Latvian Rīgas Autobusu Fabrika , Russian Рижская Автобусная Фабрика , transcribed Rishskaya Avtobusnaja Fabrika , abbreviated RAF or РАФ) was a Soviet and later Latvian automobile manufacturer in Riga . The plant, with its headquarters in Duntes ielā, became known mainly for the production of minibuses , but vans and minibuses were also manufactured. From the 1970s there was a branch in Jelgava . In 1998, after the collapse of the Soviet Union , the manufacturer had to file for bankruptcy.

history

In 1949 the factory started operations on the basis of the car repair plant No. 2 in Riga, but only produced bus bodies, for example for the Russian PAZ-651 . In 1955 the factory was renamed the Riga Experimental Bus Plant ( Latvian Rīgas eksperimentālā autobusu fabrika , Russian Рижский Опытный Автобусный Завод ). However, the vehicles (still) received type designations with the abbreviation "РАФ / RAF".

The first car built in Riga was the 22-seat RAF-251 bus , which was built on the chassis of the GAZ-51 . In 1957, the series production of the RAF-10 minibus began . From 1958 the RAF-977 "Latvija" was built, it was powered by the engine of the GAZ-21 "Volga" . Passenger, van and special versions were planned for this type. The first prototypes of the 1t van RAF-977K were produced in 1962, on the chassis of the modernized RAF-977D minibus . However, the production facilities in Riga were not large enough for series production, so the project was handed over to the Yerewanski Avtomobilny Zavod in Yerevan, Armenia , where the vehicle was built as the JerAZ-762 until the 1990s. In 1976 the construction of a larger plant with a capacity of 17,000 vehicles per year in Jelgava near Riga was completed. Production of the 11-seater minibus RAF-2203 “Latvija” also began here. It was powered by the engine of the GAZ-24 "Volga" .

In the early 1990s, the RAF-2203 model appeared and the company worked on new models with the help of the British design office "International Automotive Developments". The "Roksana" and "Stil" models were developed and presented at some trade fairs, but never made it to series production. After the collapse of the Soviet Union , supply chains and the previous sales market collapsed due to the new borders, and production fell dramatically. An investment offer came from the Russian GAZ Group . However, it was rejected by the Latvian government because it was seen as a threat to Latvia's new independence from Russia . Some Western and East Asian investors have also expressed interest in the plant. An investment was classified as too risky, however, as the national market was too small to support large production and the difficult political relationship between Russia and Latvia closed the Russian market. In 1997, the last 13-seater RAF-32119, a marshrut cavern, rolled off the line. Ironically, the last car RAF made was a hearse version of the RAF-3311.

In 1998 the company went bankrupt. The only branch of the company that survived is RAF Avia . You still fly charter flights with the company's aircraft to this day. The entire production facilities are now owned by OOO Balitva. They were supposed to be sold to a western automobile manufacturer, but this is unlikely. Since all systems were still working in 2002 and construction plans were available, production could be restarted at any time. The Yerewanski Avtomobilny Sawod (insolvent since 2002) showed interest, but probably only in the designs.

• 

  RAF-10 "Festival", built 1957 to 1959

• 

  RAF-08 "Spriditis", prototype from 1958

• 

  RAF-977 first series

• 

  Restored RAF-251 in Moscow (2013)

• 

  GAZ-13 Chaika as an ambulance, built by RAF

• 

  Restored RAF-2203

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Latvia RAF newspaper article from Kommersant (Russian)

Web links

Commons : Vehicles from the Riga bus factory  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• More pictures and information (Russian)
• Photos and model information (English)
• Pictures (English, Swedish)

Coordinates: 56 ° 59 ′ 32 ″  N , 24 ° 7 ′ 31 ″  E