Two million kilometres. This is the distance passed by test LADA Vesta cars which were used by JSC AVTOVAZ to verify and optimize the design of a new car. Today, the majority of tests included in validation program have been performed. Tests on public roads and dedicated proving grounds are at the final stage.
In total, over 300 LADA Vesta cars participated in the program of pre-series tests and validation which included the entire range of required checks starting from verification of body geometry and robustness and ending with fine tuning of drivability on various roads and in different climate conditions. In general, global car makers perform test programs of 1.5 M km, but AVTOVAZ decided to achieve maximum 2 M km in order to optimize all design elements and processes. Test LADA Vesta cars were subject to different series of tests; some cars were tested in the labs, some cars were used for driving 80 to 90 kilometres within several months.
LADA Vesta test program is built in full compliance with worldwide standards. One of the main tasks is to ensure high quality of production. In particular, the conformity of geometry parameters of Vesta bodies today is stable 95% which corresponds to the best indicators in global automotive industry.
Special attention is paid to LADA Vesta safety. In the course of creating a car, several hundreds of virtual crash tests were performed the results of which were then confirmed by real tests carried out in accordance with Russian and worldwide methods: UN/ECE, ARCAP, EuroNCAP. The major part of real crash tests has been already fulfilled. In total, there will be 35 crash tests done prior to the start of mass production.
In parallel to optimization of manufacturing processes, final tuning of driving performance, comfort, ergonomics is done. Units and subassemblies are checked for reliability, durability, etc. JSC AVTOVAZ closely cooperates with leading global engineering companies in this activity.
In addition, LADA Vesta test program included tests aimed at validation of customer properties and reliability of cars taking into account Russian running conditions. One of them is high-speed driving (60 km/h) on gravel roads to reach wear limit of suspension parts. According to Renault-Nissan Alliance, AVTOVAZ shall recycle prototype cars used for tests. It is, thus, guaranteed that no worn cars will appear in sales.
