Lada Niva II

The Lada Niva[2] is a mini sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by the AvtoVaz Group. Originally known as the VAZ-2123 in the car's design stage, the SUV was branded as the Chevrolet Niva between 1998 and 2020 when AvtoVAZ (the parent company of the Lada brand) was in a joint venture with General Motors called GM-AvtoVAZ. The car was rebranded as the Lada Niva in 2020 after General Motors sold its 50-percent stake in the firm, which means that the car now has the same name that the Lada 4x4/VAZ-2121 has in certain European markets (with the VAZ-2123 being a development of the earlier VAZ-2121).

VAZ-2123 (1998–2002)
Chevrolet Niva (2003–2009)
Not to be confused with Lada Niva.
Lada Niva
Overview
ManufacturerGM-AvtoVAZ
Production1998–present
AssemblyTolyatti, Samara Oblast, Russia
Body and chassis
ClassMini SUV
Body style5-door wagon
LayoutFront-engine, four-wheel-drive
RelatedLada Niva
Powertrain
Engine1.7 L I4 (petrol)
Transmission5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,450 mm (96.5 in)[1]
Length4,056 mm (159.7 in)
Width1,800 mm (70.9 in)
Height1,690 mm (66.5 in)

It features an updated body and 1.7-litre gasoline engine with fuel injection. Although the body and the interiors are new, it is still based on the old VAZ 2121 engine, transmission and most mechanicals.

In 2003 the car was awarded zero stars out of a possible four by the Russian ARCAP safety assessment program.[3]

An export version with reinforced hull, 1.8-litre Opel Ecotec Family 1 gasoline engine and Aisin four-wheel drive has been under consideration since 2003. Although most of the engineering work has been completed, the release has been constantly postponed. Although the GM-AvtoVAZ considered building a new engine plant for the local production of Ecotecs, in July 2005 it was announced that the project was cancelled, along with plans for the long-anticipated "export" Niva. However, the project was revived in Fall 2006 and the "Niva FAM1" was introduced as a new trim level for the 2007 model year. The price was much higher than the standard trim, that made the project not as successful and led it to be discontinued in April 2008. Another reason was the ceasing of Ecotec engine production at the Hungarian plant.[4]

In 2009, the model got a minor update, featuring a slight restyling, done by Bertone studio and some minor-changes.[5] The GLS and GLC version also comes with improved safety, such as ABS and dual front airbags.[6]

In August 2020 Lada took over production of the Chevy Niva rebranding it as the Lada Niva.[7]

Concept
Chevrolet Niva Concept
Chevrolet Niva Concept
Overview
ManufacturerGM-AvtoVAZ
AssemblyTolyatti, Samara Oblast, Russia
DesignerOndrej Koromház
Body and chassis
ClassMini SUV
Body style5-door wagon
LayoutFront-engine, four-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine1.8 L I4 (petrol)
Transmission5-speed manual

GM-AvtoVAZ introduced a concept vehicle for a new generation of the Chevrolet Niva at the Moscow International Automobile Salon in late August 2014.[8] The Niva Concept, designed by Ondrej Koromház of GM (or at General Motors' headquarters in Melbourne according to other sources),[9] had a longitudinal mounted engine, full-time four-wheel-drive, two-gear transfer case and rigid-axle rear suspension. The production model was supposed to get a 1.8-liter PSA Peugeot Citroën EC8 engine (135 hp) paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox,[10] although more recent news reports suggested that it was planned to be based on the Renault Duster platform.[11] The new model's production version was initially expected in 2016,[8] but following Chevrolet stopping sales of its mainstream models in Russia, no information has been released on the topic. In September of 2018, it was reported that GM has suspended all the work on planned replacement of Chevrolet Niva.[12]

References
  1. "Размеры Chevrolet Niva" (in Russian). Chevrolet Россия. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  2. https://www.carscoops.com/2020/07/chevrolet-niva-regains-lada-badges-as-avtovaz-completes-gm-joint-venture-buyout/
  3. "Chevrolet Niva". Авторевю. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  4. "Chevrolet Niva FAM1 больше не выпускается" (in Russian). AutoNavigator.ru. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  5. "О Chevrolet NIVA" (in Russian). Gm-AvtoVAZ.ru. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  6. Нива Шевроле (in Russian). Niva-Chevrolet.com.ua. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  7. http://info.avtovaz.ru/press-releases/117703.html Niva возвращается в семью LADA! (EN:Niva returns to the Lada family}
  8. "Концепт Chevrolet NIVA нового поколения на ММАС 2014" (in Russian). Chevrolet Media. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  9. "New Lada Niva for 2018… Could it be?". Caradvice.com.au.
  10. "Chevrolet Niva Concept debuted in Moscow". Wroom.ru. 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  11. "«GM-AVTOVAZ» is preparing a Chevrolet Niva 2 on the platform of Renault Duster". News-original.ru. Archived from the original on 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  12. "GM suspends work on Chevrolet Niva replacement". Automotive News.
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