A lot has changed in recent months and AVTOVAZ had to develop a new strategy for the development of the company, mainly aimed at adapting its industrial policy. In particular, the Volzhans have revised their approach to cargo distribution at their production sites in Tolyatti and Izhevsk. for what? To “provide employment for the entire 42,000-strong team and minimize costs.”
Having estimated what was happening, AVTOVAZ firmly decided to move the assembly of its flagship to Tolyatti – they say that the productivity of the B0 line is twice as high (60 cars per hour vs. 32 in Izhevsk), and therefore there are many more opportunities to meet consumer demand. Although it is of course difficult to talk about meeting the demand. After all, the problem is not so much in the performance as in an acute shortage of components … But hey: they decided and decided.
So LADA Vesta is “packing its bags” (the restart should be in the spring), but what’s left for Izhevsk? Electric Largus.
Under the new strategy, the LADA plant in Izhevsk will control the production of e-Largus – station wagons and battery-powered vans. The inhabitants of Volga are not yet going into the technical details of the “green” novelty. They only say that the changes will be minimal: the gasoline engine will give way to an electric one, the “mixer” of the manual gearbox will give way to a direction switch, a traction battery will “settle” under the feet of the rear passengers, and behind it. gas tank hatch comes a charging connector of the European standard CCS.
Answering the question of why Largus, and not, say, Granta, decided to go greener, the director for programs and products of AVTOVAZ Oleg Grunenkov explained to the AvtoVzglyad portal that the main task was to “build an electric car on what is”. Residents of Togliatti carefully studied all the platforms at their disposal for possible electrification and came to the conclusion that Largus is best suited for these purposes.
– The Largus has the largest base: the distance between the front and rear wheels is 2904 mm. And, compared to other platforms, the legroom for the second and third row passengers has been increased, which is useful for stowing a large battery without making changes to the bodywork. After all, the whole point is exactly this: we don’t spend extra money and don’t add components, emphasized Mr. Grunenkov.
Another reasonable question arises: how can an electric car – be it an e-Largus or another conditional e-Granta – save a factory with a production capacity of 230,000 cars per year? The country doesn’t need much. Take 2021 as an example: only 1001 electric trains were sold, and this for all available models and brands. However, AVTOVAZ does not harbor utopian hopes. They understand that at first the circulation will be small, but then – how will it go.
If the Russians show interest and demand starts to grow, they will increase the volume. But this will largely depend on the price. Of course, it’s too early to talk about prices: if the e-Largus prototypes aren’t released until next year, the standard versions won’t be available until 2024. Nevertheless, representatives of AVTOVAZ assure that e-Largus will be the best offer in the segment of seven-seat cars.
Be that as it may, all this is a rather distant prospect. It will take more than a year to set up and debug production processes, as well as to envision the electric car itself (Volga residents haven’t even decided on batteries yet). So what will the Izhevsk plant do all this time? At least the production of components for LADA Vesta (stamping, plastic), as well as support for the “service and support functions” of the car giant.
Will AVTOVAZ manage to retain the entire workforce of LADA Izhevsk employees, about 3,200 people? Extremely unlikely. And while the group has no plans to make mass layoffs, it will support workers who voluntarily decide to leave the factory. What kind of support? Help with finding work in other companies and payments.
More specifically, LADA Izhevsk employees have already been offered about 19,000 vacancies in the region, of which just over half are profile vacancies. Those who find something valuable among them, AVTOVAZ pays five average salaries or 12 minimum wages. Those who simply leave “by agreement of the parties” will take 5 to 7 “pay”, depending on the length of employment in the company. They will also support workers who decide to retire early – with an amount equivalent to 7 salaries.
In addition, AVTOVAZ was thinking about creating an industrial park in Izhevsk, where local manufacturers of non-automotive products could come. This gives the site new life and creates additional employment opportunities. Let’s remember Tolyatti, where the inhabitants of Volga once tried out such a scheme: they managed to “tie” 2500 people. What will come out of this now, time will tell. But it is commendable that AVTOVAZ at least tries to do something and does not shy away from problems, like some other automakers …
A lot has changed in recent months and AVTOVAZ had to develop a new strategy for the development of the company, mainly aimed at adapting its industrial policy. In particular, the Volzhans have revised their approach to cargo distribution at their production sites in Tolyatti and Izhevsk. for what? To “provide employment for the entire 42,000-strong team and minimize costs.”
Having estimated what was happening, AVTOVAZ firmly decided to move the assembly of its flagship to Tolyatti – they say that the productivity of the B0 line is twice as high (60 cars per hour vs. 32 in Izhevsk), and therefore there are many more opportunities to meet consumer demand. Although it is of course difficult to talk about meeting the demand. After all, the problem is not so much in the performance as in an acute shortage of components … But hey: they decided and decided.
So LADA Vesta is “packing its bags” (the restart should be in the spring), but what’s left for Izhevsk? Electric Largus.
Under the new strategy, the LADA plant in Izhevsk will control the production of e-Largus – station wagons and battery-powered vans. The inhabitants of Volga are not yet going into the technical details of the “green” novelty. They only say that the changes will be minimal: the gasoline engine will give way to an electric one, the “mixer” of the manual gearbox will give way to a direction switch, a traction battery will “settle” under the feet of the rear passengers, and behind it. gas tank hatch comes a charging connector of the European standard CCS.
Answering the question of why Largus, and not, say, Granta, decided to go greener, the director for programs and products of AVTOVAZ Oleg Grunenkov explained to the AvtoVzglyad portal that the main task was to “build an electric car on what is”. Residents of Togliatti carefully studied all the platforms at their disposal for possible electrification and came to the conclusion that Largus is best suited for these purposes.
– The Largus has the largest base: the distance between the front and rear wheels is 2904 mm. And, compared to other platforms, the legroom for the second and third row passengers has been increased, which is useful for stowing a large battery without making changes to the bodywork. After all, the whole point is exactly this: we don’t spend extra money and don’t add components, emphasized Mr. Grunenkov.
Another reasonable question arises: how can an electric car – be it an e-Largus or another conditional e-Granta – save a factory with a production capacity of 230,000 cars per year? The country doesn’t need much. Take 2021 as an example: only 1001 electric trains were sold, and this for all available models and brands. However, AVTOVAZ does not harbor utopian hopes. They understand that at first the circulation will be small, but then – how will it go.
If the Russians show interest and demand starts to grow, they will increase the volume. But this will largely depend on the price. Of course, it’s too early to talk about prices: if the e-Largus prototypes aren’t released until next year, the standard versions won’t be available until 2024. Nevertheless, representatives of AVTOVAZ assure that e-Largus will be the best offer in the segment of seven-seat cars.
Be that as it may, all this is a rather distant prospect. It will take more than a year to set up and debug production processes, as well as to envision the electric car itself (Volga residents haven’t even decided on batteries yet). So what will the Izhevsk plant do all this time? Minimum production of components for LADA Vesta (stamping, plastic), as well as support for the “service and support functions” of the car giant.
Will AVTOVAZ manage to retain the entire workforce of LADA Izhevsk employees, about 3,200 people? Extremely unlikely. And while the group has no plans to make mass layoffs, it will support workers who voluntarily decide to leave the factory. What kind of support? Help with finding work in other companies and payments.
More specifically, LADA Izhevsk employees have already been offered about 19,000 vacancies in the region, of which just over half are profile vacancies. Those who find something valuable among them, AVTOVAZ pays five average salaries or 12 minimum wages. Those who simply leave “by agreement of the parties” will take 5 to 7 “pay”, depending on the length of employment in the company. They will also support workers who decide to retire early – with an amount equivalent to 7 salaries.
In addition, AVTOVAZ was thinking about creating an industrial park in Izhevsk, where local manufacturers of non-automotive products could come. This gives the site new life and creates additional employment opportunities. Let’s remember Tolyatti, where the inhabitants of Volga once tried out such a scheme: they managed to “tie” 2500 people. What will come out of this now, time will tell. But it is commendable that AVTOVAZ at least tries to do something and does not shy away from problems, like some other automakers …
Source: Avto Vzglyad
I’m Sandra Torres, a passionate journalist and content creator. My specialty lies in covering the latest gadgets, trends and tech news for Div Bracket. With over 5 years of experience as a professional writer, I have built up an impressive portfolio of published works that showcase my expertise in this field.