Volga (make of car)

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GAZ-21 Volga (second series)
GAZ-22 Volga
GAZ-24 Volga

Volga ( Russian Волга ) is a Russian , formerly Soviet car brand produced until 2010 . The Volga was manufactured by the Gorki Automobile Plant - GAZ (Russian Горьковский автомобильный завод (ГАЗ) , German Gorkier Automobile Plant).

History and models

GAZ-21 Volga

The GAZ M-21 (from 1965 GAZ-21 ) replaced the GAZ-M20 Pobeda in 1956 and was produced by GAZ in what is now Nizhny Novgorod on the Volga until 1968 . It was the first car to be named Volga . Some assemblies were taken over from the predecessor. A few modifications and a station wagon (GAZ M-22 or GAZ-22) followed.

GAZ-24 Volga

In 1968 it was replaced by the GAZ-24 model, which took over the axle suspensions from the GAZ-21.

The GAZ-24 was a particularly long model. It was similar to the American vehicles of the time. Like its predecessor, it was also available as a station wagon 24-02, but its production numbers were small compared to the sedan . Nothing changed in the area of ​​operation of the Volga. The 24 series was produced until 1992 and served as the basis for the successor models 3102 (1982), 31029 (1992), 3110 (1997) and 31105 (2004).

GAZ 31 Volga

GAZ-31029 Volga (1992)
GAZ-3105 Volga (1992-1996)
GAZ-31105 Volga (2004-2009)

The price for a Volga in the simplest configuration was around 8,300 euros in 2008. Although this was cheap for a new car, sales in Russia fell. The last model manufactured, 31105, was produced since 2004 and was the fifth revision of the basic GAZ-24 from 1968.

Looking for a successor

GAZ made (at least) two attempts to replace the tried and tested model series with a successor model. Because of the difficult economic conditions in the last years of the Soviet Union and in Russia in the 1990s, however, these failed.

GAZ-3105 Volga

Work on the GAZ-3105 began in 1987. It was supposed to close the gap between the previous Volga and the luxury sedan GAZ-14 Chaika .

The car was about five meters long and was powered by a V8 engine with 3400 cc. It was officially presented in 1992. However, only 55 units were produced up to 1996. After the political upheaval, the previous functionary class ceased to be a buyer. The new Russian upper class, however, preferred imported cars.

It was also planned to build a simpler version with a four-cylinder engine (GAZ 3103 and 3104), which could then have replaced the classic Volga, but this project was no longer implemented.

GAZ-3111 Volga

GAZ-3111 Volga (1998-2004)

Volga made a new attempt from 1998 with the GAZ-3111. It had a completely redesigned body. The motorization should be done by the four-cylinder engine taken over from the predecessor, for higher demands a V6 engine from Toyota should be purchased.

The model was presented in 1999. From 2000 to 2002 only 415 cars were produced, in 2004 another 9 cars.

Volga Siber

After the failures with the 3105 and 3111 models, GAZ now sought cooperation with Western car manufacturers. In 2008, production of the Volga Siber began, which had been developed from the Chrysler Sebring . However, the car was not a success in Russia, after just two years production was stopped again in 2010.

attitude

Originally, the last car of the Volga brand was supposed to leave the plant in Nizhny Novgorod at the end of 2007 in order to specialize the company fully in commercial vehicle production, as it is very well positioned there in the highly competitive Russian market, especially with the Gazelle van . Since April 2006, however, the plant management announced that the Volga “would continue to be built for as long as the market needed.” In late 2010, GAZ's car production was stopped due to failed relationships with Chrysler.

The company currently no longer offers passenger cars under its own brands. However, it continues to produce vans , trucks , buses and construction machinery . The Škoda Yeti has been manufactured on behalf of Volkswagen since 2012 and the VW Jetta since April 2013 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Press release from Volkswagen ( Memento from December 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive )

Web links

Commons : Volga Cars  - Collection of Images