Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod

UAZ bird emblem

A GAZ-69 from the production of the UAZ plant

A UAZ-450A in the manufacturer's museum (2014)

A UAZ-451 with a flatbed in Germany (2014)

UAZ-452 as a vehicle of the Soviet military police (военная автомобильная инспекция)

UAZ-469

UAZ-469, dashboard

The UAZ ( Russian Ульяновский автомобильный завод (УАЗ) , German "Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant", English transcription Uljanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, often abbreviated as UAZ called) is a former Soviet and now Russian automobile manufacturer based in Ulyanovsk . The manufacturer currently uses the abbreviation UAZ on the international markets. The vehicles from the factory's production can be recognized by the vehicle identification number with the manufacturer code X7R . Today the company is part of the Sollers Group .

UlZIS

On behalf of the Soviet State Defense Committee to outsource a certain number of industrial companies from Moscow, a new factory of the Stalin Works (ZIS for short) was built in Ulyanovsk in 1941 . The resulting company was called Uljanowski Sawod imeni Stalina (Russian Улья́новский Завод имени Сталина, UlZIS or УльЗИС for short). Production began in 1942. The first products were war goods such as ammunition and various equipment for aircraft construction, both civil and military aircraft.

Production of the ZIS-5 began in May, and 20 to 30 vehicles of this model were produced every day. To increase production, a second factory complex was opened. Vehicles that left the factory in Ulyanovsk were sometimes referred to as UlZIS-5 (Russian УльЗИС-5).

In addition, production of the L3 / 2 engine for military use began in autumn. By the end of the year, 4,000 young workers were employed in the two plants.

In order to further increase production, in 1943 the committee allowed 200 hectares to be used for planning and construction on the other bank of the Swijaga River . The third plant was built there.

In the mid-1940s, the plant was involved in the development of the prototype of a 3.5-tonner. The truck, known internally as UlZIS-253 (Russian УльЗИС-253), which was supposed to complement the Studebaker trucks delivered from the USA , already had a two-stroke diesel engine. The already planned series production was rejected in favor of the ZIS-150 .

In 1947, the factory took over the GAZ-MM production , which was being phased out in Gorkowski Awtomobilny Sawod , and continued it until 1950. On March 13, 1949, the plant celebrated its 10,000th anniversary. manufactured vehicle.

UAZ

When and why exactly the plant in Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (UAZ for short) was renamed is not documented. It is known that the company presented the prototype UAZ-300 as early as 1950, well before Stalin's death and the subsequent de-Stalinization . The vehicle was a 1.5 tonne truck for difficult to access terrain and also for agricultural use. The first tests took place in the same year and were successful. Nevertheless, there was no series production.

In 1954 the production of the GAZ-69 off-road vehicle was relocated from the Gorkowski Avtomobilny Sawod (GAZ) to Ulyanovsk. The reason was that GAZ lacked production capacities for truck production. The UAZ's first exports also took place in 1956. In total, the GAZ-69 was exported to 56 countries. Due to the increased quality in the course of exports, UAZ had a record year in 1956 and for the first time constituted an important competitor to US vehicles in terms of quality. The British stopped exporting cars to the Soviet Union in 1953 due to political differences.

From 1958 a small van was launched, the UAZ-450 . It was technically based on the GAZ-69, the engine with upright valves developed 62 hp (46 kW) and brought the vehicle to 90 km / h. It had a modern and appropriately designed body, was available in a wide variety of bodies from flatbed trucks to eight-seater minibuses and was equipped with all-wheel drive. The type UAZ-451 was a 4 × 2 variant derived from it with a payload of one tonne increased by 200 kilograms. The engine with overhead valves corresponded to that of the GAZ-M21 Volga and accelerated the pickup truck to 100 km / h. The bus variant was seen in the Caribbean as a competitor to the Volkswagen T1 bus. The series became very popular due to the numerous designs and equipment options. In 1965 there was a further development towards the UAZ-452 model .

With the New Year of 1965, UAZ celebrated its 250,000. Vehicle. At the International Agriculture Show, UAZ presented its specially developed vehicle UAZ-452D. Compared with competitors from 20 countries, UAZ managed to win a gold medal. In August, UAZ was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor by the state. The UAZ-452 then went into production immediately. Various versions of the UAZ-452 series are still produced today as minibuses , pick-ups and vans . In January 1967, the Ministry of Vehicle Production planned to increase production and add more production facilities. In 1971, the successor to the GAZ-69 began production under the name UAZ-469 . On August 4, 1972, the expansion of the main production line was finally completed. However, this was not put into operation until December 15, 1972.

The one millionth vehicle left the factory on February 18, 1974. It was a very popular UAZ-452 at the time. The UAZ-452 was sold in the GDR as UAZ-3909 (small van) and UAZ-3743 (minibus). In August, a UAZ-452B column traveled the Elbrus in just 38 minutes. This represented a new world record. UAZ received a quality award in November 1977. As a result, prices were reduced by 45 percent for four months. In contrast to the previous year, this brought UAZ an order increase of 24.8 percent.

In 1983, UAZ received a government contract to develop an amphibious vehicle. The result was the UAZ-3907 Jaguar. He was used mostly with the border troops of the USSR . In the water, the vehicle reached a speed of eight to ten kilometers per hour. The Travelers' Club organized the Great International Silk Road Expedition in 1989 together with UNESCO and a UAZ team assembled for technical support . More than 10,000 kilometers through deserts and mountains in Central Asia and Kazakhstan brought exciting changes in the first place. Mercedes-Benz mostly held the top position in sandy terrain. In the mountains, UAZ was at the top.

UAZ Hunter as a police vehicle at a Russian fair (2010)

UAZ patriot

In the free market economy

After the collapse of the Soviet Union , the Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod PJST became the factory in 1992. In 1993, the UAZ-31514, a modified version of the old UAZ-469, went into production. In contrast to its predecessors, it had a metal roof, height-adjustable seats and contemporary door handles. In October 1994, UAZ was awarded the "Golden Globe International Prize" for the high quality of its vehicles.

The first completely new model in post-Soviet times was the UAZ-3160 Simbir, presented in 1997. The UAZ-3153 and UAZ-31514, both versions of the UAZ-469 , were also included in the SSVP program . The UAZ-3153 had a longer wheelbase and was delivered with more powerful engines than the UAZ-31514. Production of the UAZ-31604 began in June 1998. It had a diesel engine and was offered in various body versions. So it was available as a van, truck, ambulance and in a farmer's version.

On the basis of the UAZ-452, the new UAZ-39094 was made with a cabin for up to five people. Another difference was the metal loading area. This made the model vulnerable, but it has remained in production to this day.

In April, the UAZ-3162 was presented. Due to its strange appearance, it should only remain a prototype. After the Moscow Automobile Show, this changed quickly when the first orders were received. The minivan was further developed and could offer space for up to twelve passengers in production.

The new model, the UAZ-31622, was awarded gold at the “Moscow Industrial Exhibition and Fair”. On the basis of this prototype, the UAZ-3165 minivan and the UAZ-2362 pick-up went into production a few months later. This model helped UAZ to rebuild the dealer network, which collapsed after the end of the USSR, and to increase profits. The UAZ-23632 Patriot , introduced in 2005, was able to build on the success. This vehicle was technically upgraded and could keep up with makes from western manufacturers.

In 2003, the production of the UAZ-469 was stopped. The successor was the visually similar, but technically revised UAZ Hunter , which is still in series today. Also in 2003, UAZ added the UAZ-2360 to production. This model is a pickup truck based on the UAZ-3160.

swell

1. ↑ Неизвестный "253-й" - 60 лет со дня закрытия проекта "ЗИС-253" (УльЗИС-253, УльЗИС-НАЗ-253, УльЗИС-253). Grusowik-Press, January 2008 (Russian)
2. ↑ Company history on the company's website (Russian)
3. ↑ New Soviet trucks. In: Motor Vehicle Technology 4/1958, pp. 138-139.
4. ^ The automobile industry of the USSR in the seven-year plan from 1959 to 1965 . In: Motor Vehicle Technology 7/1959, pp. 275-279.
5. ↑ Current pictures from the subject . In: Motor vehicle technology 7/1959, p. 299 (photo).

• Car catalog 1957 to 2007 (Vereinigte-Motor Verlage GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart)
• Test reports (from Russian magazines)

Web links

Commons : UAZ vehicles  - collection of images

• Official website of UAZ (Russian and English)