On April 5 will be 45 years since the production start of the VAZ-2121 Niva SUV, which is called now the LADA NIVA Legend. Almost 2.5 million of cars, 700 thousand of which were exported to more than 100 countries, have been produced during this time.
“Niva” has been the first series car, developed independently by engineers of the Volga automobile plant. The car was created as a car for village residents of our country, but became popular worldwide. In Niva was used a combination of technical solutions innovatory for the SUVs of that time. These are the monocoque body, differential permanent 4WD, high-revving engine, independent front and rear suspension, front discs brakes. Combination of high cross-country ability and comfortable interior made the “Niva” one of the ancestors of the modern SUV class.
LADA NIVA Legend is one of the most long-living cars of the planet. Over the years of its production, it has conquered all the continents of the planet, three times was on the podium of the “Paris-Dakar” rally and was shot in hundreds of films. The car has been repeatedly modernized: new safety and comfort systems have appeared, the chassis was redesigned to increase the drivability in modern traffic conditions. At the same time, all the changes organically fit into the classic, recognizable and charismatic style of the SUV. In addition to the constructive update, the LADA NIVA Legend has fully changed the production place: the welding, painting and assembly of car were moved to the more up-to-date production lines. This allowed to significantly automatize the process of body production, use painting robots and modern assembly approach – all to provide the higher quality and reliability level of the car.
SOURCE: Lada
