The Soviet automotive industry did not really leave a major mark on history, aside from jokes about the eternal Lada Riva sedan, the Russian version of the Fiat 124.
But there was one model that achieved some success even beyond the Iron Curtain: The Lada Niva, a simple and inexpensive true 4x4 vehicle. This is why it is still surviving on production lines 50 years after it was born.
And legends are hard to replace. 25 years ago, during the optimistic years following the collapse of the communist regime, when General Motors acquired control of AvtoVAZ, Lada’s manufacturer, a new Niva was even introduced based on American components, and it was produced alongside the classic model. Since then, control of AvtoVAZ passed to Renault, which even managed to initiate a new development project for a vehicle that was supposed to share components with the Dacia Duster.
But in 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the severing of Western commercial ties with Moscow, Renault sold its ownership stake for one euro and withdrew.
New images of a new Lada Niva that appeared on Russia’s patent registration website reveal that the project is progressing despite the sanctions. They show a compact and rugged-looking SUV, very similar to the current Niva, which is still in production.
The design also resembles both the original Niva and the Duster, with a grille and mirrors that recall the Romanian crossover.
Since 2022, the Russian automotive market has come under Chinese influence, alongside in-house production of components for Renault and Dacia models that were previously manufactured in the country. It is not clear what powertrain the next Niva will use, which is expected to enter production in 2028. Due to the situation, it may remain with the 1,800 cc engine producing 90 horsepower from the classic model.
Today, with the Suzuki Jimny no longer sold in Europe or in our market, and with a manual 4x4 Duster starting at around NIS 160,000, what are the chances of seeing a new Niva here? Slim. Not only because of sanctions, but also because the Niva 2 is not expected to meet the emissions and safety standards required in Europe. The original Niva was imported to Israel between 1993 and 1996, and in 2016 Freesbe, then Colmobil, announced that it had received the Lada franchise as part of its affiliation with the Renault Group at the time. But no vehicles ever arrived, due to the lack of compatibility of Lada models with modern regulations even then. Even now, if this project actually reaches production, we might see it in other Middle Eastern countries, but not here.