There is little in the history of the Soviet automobile industry cars comparable to VAZ Niva in terms of their contribution to the global automotive industry. To reduce the role of this machine in the development of the car is very difficult, no matter how high it is to evaluate it, all the same, this will not be enough. It was she who gave a new impetus to the development of jeeps and, in fact, became the first crossover in the world. To understand this, just go back a bit and remember the history of the appearance of the machine.
The first production car left the assembly line in 1977, although work on it began in 1970. It was created as an all-terrain vehicle for rural residents, and during the creation of Soviet designers violated almost all prevailing stereotypes that existed in the world for such cars.
At that time, the jeep in the conventional sense should have:
-connected front-wheel drive;
-utilitarian, simple and without unnecessary amenities body;
- soft (canvas) top;
- frame construction and dependent suspension.
So, none of this VAZ Niva had! The car was with non-disengaged all-wheel drive, independent suspension and a rigid metal body with a level of comfort that is almost not inferior to a conventional passenger car. In the production of used parts from mass-produced cars. The car showed excellent cross-country ability and confident behavior on roads in the city and beyond.
In many cases, during comparative tests with the best SUVs, VAZ Niva, being the weakest of them, showed better results than its opponents. The ability of the machine to overcome relatively small sections of the bad road on the move has led to the emergence of a new term for the testers to characterize this feature - "flown." The car was tested very hard - from the roads and deserts of Central Asia to the mountains and foothills of the Urals, often with no roads.
When the mass production of VAZ Niva began, the price of the model was 9,000 then rubles. Nevertheless, it was extremely difficult to buy it, 80% of the total production went to export. In Germany, the sale of the Niva was carried out in turn, and there was a record for its purchase; in Austria, for several years, the Niva accounted for 90% of the SUV market.
Despite selling abroad at a high price, for a long time interest in this car did not weaken. He was constantly supported by Niva’s victories in numerous rallies, including she was among the winners of the famous Dakar, and also won prestigious marathons such as the Algerian Rally and the Pharaohs Rally. In addition, we can mention the conquest of a height of 5700 meters and work in Antarctica for several years.
One of the further stages of development was the appearance of the VAZ Niva Chevrolet, when GM bought the modernized Niva, which is being prepared for production in Tolyatti, together with the Niva brand. However, the Niva continues to be produced, however, already under the name
Lada 4x4. During this time, the machine underwent several modernizations, and despite the fact that its appearance remained unchanged, its characteristics improved significantly, it is still the favorite machine of fishermen and hunters.
To say that the VAZ Niva SUV introduced a new class of car will be clearly not enough. In many ways, he predetermined and showed the way along which the development of the global automobile industry subsequently went, became the forerunner of modern crossovers and comfortable SUVs.