Return of the Volga: Iconic Soviet car reborn as Chinese clones
In 1956, the Soviet GAZ plant began producing the 21 Volga model. Although the most recognizable to us is the second generation of this car (1967 - 1985), which is already a thing of the past, subsequent versions were produced until 2009. They will return, but the Russians have no reason to be proud.
1:06 PM EDT, July 14, 2024
The Volga, often in black, was once so commonly seen in Poland that it became a source of urban legends and a symbol of the communist security services. In the Soviet Union, the car was likely a source of pride for some of its residents, even those who probably could never afford to buy it.
Although the styling of successive iterations of the Volga could— to put it mildly— arouse controversy, cars with this name saw nine versions and were produced until 2009. I do not count the episode of attaching the Volga badge to the Chrysler Sebring. By the way, the name of this Volga was extended with the suffix Siber, supposedly to refer to the original but more likely evoking Siberia. The end of the Volga was probably disappointing for the Russians. But now, a car with this name is set to return.
According to autostat.ru, the Nizhny Novgorod Automotive Cluster intends to launch production of three models under the Volga brand, around 100,000 cars annually. The first will be the sedan Volga C40, aimed at businesspeople. There are also plans for the Volga K30— a mid-sized crossover, and its larger relative K40. The cars must have an engine producing 251 HP and a seven-speed automatic transmission. So, success, right? Not entirely.
The new Volga models will not be Russian designs. Each will be a clone of Chinese cars. The prototype for the Volga C40 will be the Changan Raeton Plus. For the Volga K30, it will be the Oshan X5 Plus, and for the Volga K40, the Changan Uni-Z. The Chinese are once again extending a "helping hand" to Russia. However, this help will simultaneously mean complete dependence on the Middle Kingdom.
