-1994, part of the AvtoZAZ production association).

Under the brand name "Zaporozhets" actually produced two different generations car models, connected by technical succession and for some time rolled off the assembly line in parallel:

• In -1969 - the first generation, ZAZ-965 and since 1962 - ZAZ-965 A;

• In -1994 - the second generation, ZAZ-966, ZAZ-966 V, ZAZ-968, ZAZ-968 A and ZAZ-968 M.

All Zaporozhets cars had a number of characteristic design features: rear-engined layout with a longitudinal arrangement of a cantilevered engine behind the rear axle and a gearbox within the wheelbase; body type "two-door sedan"; V-shaped four-cylinder air-cooled carburetor engine; independent suspension all wheels; autonomous petrol interior heater.

All variants of "Zaporozhtsev" differed in the maximum degree of unification in units and assemblies with the army all-terrain vehicle TPK (a sanitary wheeled conveyor of the front edge, LuAZ-967). The "civilian" all-terrain vehicles of the LuAZ brand - various modifications of the LuAZ-969 belonged to the same family.

ZAZ-965 / 965A

The ZAZ-965 model was produced from year to year.

The main prototype of the ZAZ-965 in relation to the overall design of the body, partially - an independent spring rear suspension, steering mechanism, transmission was Fiat 600, however, already at the level of the first prototype - Moskvich-444 - the design of the car was significantly redesigned relative to Fiat, and power unit was developed entirely from scratch.

Body - four-seater, with interchangeable frontal and rear windowswelded on the front fenders. The doors (there are two of them) open back, not forward. The engine is a rare type in the global automotive industry, a four-cylinder V-shaped, air-cooled, located at the rear. Magnesium alloy crankcase and transmission. The driving wheels are rear. Tire size - 5.20-13. ZAZ-965 was manufactured in export and disabled version.

The ZAZ-965A model is distinguished by an engine with an increased working volume (887 cm 3) and power (27 hp), one muffler (instead of two), and the absence of decorative molding on the sidewalls.

ZAZ-966/968 / 968A / 968M

Development of the next generation "Zaporozhtsev" began almost immediately after the development of the first in production, in 1961. Prototypes appeared by the fall of the same year.

However, due to the lack of experience among the plant staff (the "965th" model was developed at the MZMA in cooperation with NAMI), as well as the lack of funding, the launch of production lasted for many years, and the design of the final version was a compilation of elements borrowed from various models of those years , mainly [ ] - West German NSU Prinz IV.

Model ZAZ-966 was in mass production from 1972 to 1972, and the first year only the "transitional" modification 966B with an outdated 30-horsepower engine was produced - the production of the 1.2-liter 40-horsepower MeMZ-968 engine was ready only the next year.

Cars for people with disabilities continued to be produced. "968" model was replaced by a completely new car - ZAZ-1102 "Tavria", which structurally had nothing to do with "Zaporozhets". ZAZ-1102 - front-wheel drive three-door hatchback with a new meMZ engine liquid cooling.

Export options: Yalta / Jalta, Eliette

Along with basic modifications cars ZAZ-965, ZAZ-965A, ZAZ-966, ZAZ-968 and ZAZ-968A, their export versions were also produced (including with a steering wheel on the right, for countries with left-hand traffic) - ZAZ-965E, ZAZ-965AE, ZAZ-966E, ZAZ-968E and ZAZ-968AE. Depending on the target market, they had a trade designation Yalta/Jalta ("Yalta") or Eliette ("Eliett"), as the phonetics and transliteration of the word "Zaporozhets" is very difficult for European languages. They had improved consumer qualities in comparison with the basic models. For example, the models "965E" and "965AE" differed from the "965" and "965A" in improved noise insulation, the presence of an outside rear-view mirror on the left, an ashtray, a radio, linings on the sides of the car and the lower edge of the trunk.

ZAZ-968E and ZAZ-968AE in quantities of up to 5,000 units per year were sold in Europe through the Finnish company Konela and the Belgian Scaldia-Volga.

Consumer qualities and popularity

In the USSR, the Zaporozhets car was popular largely due to its relative cheapness (in the mid-1970s - about 3-3.5 thousand Soviet rubles; at the same time, Muscovites and different models "Zhiguli" cost from 5 to 7.5 thousand rubles), free (as a rule) sale without queues and the presence of a number of modifications with changed control mechanisms for disabled people with missing limbs. Such versions in colloquial speech were often called "disabled women" and were distributed (sometimes with partial or full payment) through social security agencies among disabled people of various categories. In addition, the Zaporozhians were distinguished by good maneuverability due to high ground clearance, smooth, flat bottom, increased load on the drive axle, low weight, as well as ease of maintenance and repair, which made them largely suitable for operation in rural areas and remote areas of the country.

The design of the car, unusual by Soviet standards, often caused disapproval of motorists and was the reason for the emergence of numerous jokes and anecdotes. However, in fairness, it should be noted that at the end of the fifties and the first half of the sixties - the period in which both generations of Zaporozhtsev were developed - the rear-engined layout was at the peak of its popularity all over the world, cars with a rear engine were tried to be produced even in the USA (Chevrolet Corvair), not to mention Europe, which was dominated by such mass modelslike Volkswagen Beetle, Fiat 500 and Fiat 600, Renault Dauphine and Renault 8, Škoda 1000 MB and the like. The prevalence of two-door bodies in those years was also much greater than today - in fact, the situation typical for the USSR, when, with the exception of Zaporozhets, in fact, all cars had 4-5 doors, was almost unique for that time.

In North America, before the end of the seventies, in general, more than half of the cars produced had two-door bodies; in Europe, their popularity was less, but still in the classes of "Zaporozhets", and even "Moskvich", the bulk of sales fell on two-doors, until the mass distribution in the early to mid-seventies of three-door hatchbacks like Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Polo, Fiat 127 and similar ones, which later successfully took the place of two-door sedans similar to Zaporozhets in the production range of Western European automobile manufacturers.

The conveyor fate of Zaporozhets does not differ from the fate of most of the Eastern European car models of the sixties: if the first generation (model ZAZ-965) was quite modern at the time of development in production, and was even removed from the assembly line before its Italian prototype, then the second (ZAZ- 966/968) was already secondary to the first in technical terms, and, in the context of the growth of crisis phenomena and the subsequent gradual stagnation of the USSR economy during the 1970s and 1980s, it was produced for decades without significant modernizations, so that already by the beginning of the seventies it was clearly below the average level of European "classmates" of the new development in terms of basic indicators, which was aggravated by the massive transition of foreign manufacturers in this class to front wheel drive, which gave an abrupt growth of the entire complex of consumer qualities in comparison with the old rear-engined models and built according to the "classical" scheme.

There are several versions about the year of foundation of Zaporozhye automobile plant... The factory workers themselves are accustomed to consider the date of creation of the plant in 1863, when the Dutchman Abraham Coop created a plant for the production of agricultural machinery. Another option is 1908, when the Melitopol Motor Plant (MeMZ) was founded, which in 1960 began to supply its engines to ZAZ. Another date is 1923, then former factory Abrahama Koopa was renamed "Kommunar". However, the direction of the enterprise's activity remained until 1960 - the production of agricultural machinery.

And so, probably, until now the Kommunar plant would have been producing hay-mowers and harrows, if one day Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev hadn’t got the idea to overtake the United States in terms of the number of cars per capita. True, unlike America, our car (like an apartment) should be small. Well, Khrushchev didn't like big things!

And the choice fell on the "Fiat" novelty FIAT-600. Initially, the car was planned to be assembled at the MOSKVICH plant and that is why the MZMA Design Bureau took over the development of the car, which together with the NAMI Automobile Institute developed the so-called Moskvich-444, which was later renamed Moskvich-560. But by the decision of the board of the State Planning Committee in connection with the congestion of the MOSKVICH plant, it was decided to start production at the Kommunar plant in Zaporozhye.

And on November 22, 1960, the enterprise released the first batch of "ZAZ-965" popularly called "Humpbacked" for its original body shape.

Almost immediately after the release of the "humpback" design bureau ZAZ began to develop new car "ZAZ-966", which has a completely new body.

However, its production was delayed by the allied leadership, perhaps for economic reasons: it was considered wasteful to put a new model on the assembly line just a year after the release of the previous one. Therefore, "ZAZ-966" was published only six years later.

It was a typical 'rectangular' sedan of the 1960s, featuring side air intakes. The people immediately called them "ears", and the car itself "eared". So the era of ZAZ "hunchback" was replaced by a long era of his even more anecdotal "eared" heir.

Its engine was also located at the rear. At first it was the 30-strong MeMZ-966A, which was installed on the latest modifications of its "humped" predecessor. Then the 40-strong MeMZ-966V appeared, which made it possible to accelerate the car to a speed of 120 km / h on a straight track. True, in practice, not everyone achieved it, and fines for speeding by the Zaporozhets were really so rare that they were regarded as an anecdote.

The model underwent a more serious alteration in 1979-1980. "ZAZ-968M" became the last domestic car with an engine located in the rear compartment - but also the longest-lived, since it was produced until 1994. Having lost its "ears", replaced by simple grilles, the car received the nickname "soap dish" - for its already outdated and too simple design. But more powerful engines were subsequently manufactured for it: MeMZ-968GE (45 hp) and MeMZ-968BE (50 hp).

Perhaps further modernization of the model would have allowed to create something interesting, but in the 1990s the opinion prevailed that the Zaporozhians were a disgrace to the Ukrainian car industry. And the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant concentrated on the production of "TAVRIA".

In November 1963, the 29-year-old engineer Vladimir Steshenko brought the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a front-wheel drive minicar to ZAZ. The new chief designer "infected" her first design bureau, and then the leadership of the entire association. Steshenko himself was imbued with the idea of \u200b\u200bfront-wheel drive after meeting the famous Mini. The Ukrainian designer was especially impressed by the fact that this modest "box" Mini, thanks to the front-wheel drive, as well as the engine deployed across and shifted forward, utterly defeated all competitors in the 1962 rally. And including the Porsche 911, Fiat Abarth 600 and Volkswagen 1200L.

By 1976, two more prototypes were created - a sedan with front-wheel drive and an all-wheel drive hatchback. These two options formed the basis for "Perspektiva" (this is how the TAVRIA car was called then in the design bureau). In 1980, the creation of the car was completed and it took 7 long years to bring the design idea to life. And only in 1988 the full production of this car was started. On the basis of the developed "TAVRIA" a car in the body of a sedan was created, which received the name "SLAVUTA".

Experimental developments of ZAZ that were not put into mass production deserve a separate word.

In 1961, under the leadership of Yu.N. Sorochkin, in parallel with the development of the 966th machine, an experimental ZAZ-970 truck with a carrying capacity of 350 kg was designed.

In fact, the car was a kind of search layout work. The car was nicknamed "Sharpener" by the factory workers and, unlike the subsequent cars of the 970th family, had a small hood.

In 1962, along with the ZAZ-970B van, a six-seater minibus (according to the current classification - minivan) ZAZ-970V was created. The seats of the second and third rows were designed to be foldable, so the car was, in fact, a cargo-passenger - with the two rear seats folded, it could carry 175 kg of cargo, and with two rows of seats folded - 350 kg of cargo.

Like the ZAZ-970B van, the engine protruded into the cabin with a noticeable "hump", which is why the two third-row seats were separate and placed at a noticeable distance from each other - between them there was a service hatch for access to the engine. Unlike a van, a ventilation hatch in the roof was provided in the minibus, and there was only one door for entering and exiting passengers - on the starboard side.

At the end of the 70s of the twentieth century, ZAZ was considered as one of the options for expanding the lineup - the "Taxi" project. An in-plant competition was announced for best car of this type.

One of the options-winners of the competition was a car on the units of a promising "Tavria" and its length did not exceed 3.5 meters. The driver's location is noteworthy - above the left front wheel, while the engine was supposed to be placed to the right of it.

During 1990-1992, an unusual modification of the base ZAZ-968M was produced - the ZAZ-968MP pickup.

It should be noted right away that pickups of a similar design were produced by ZAZ, like any car plant, always for its own internal plant needs (a typical example is ZAZ-965P). However, the ZAZ-968MP, which got into the series, is nothing more than an attempt by the plant to offer the market its own in-plant pickup in the early 90s of the twentieth century as a delivery vehicle.

In fact, the ZAZ-968MP was made according to the slipway-bypass technology - the rear of the cab was cut off from the rejected or even conditioned (depending on the demand for pickups in a particular period) ZAZ-968M body, and the rear wall with a window was welded behind the front seats. Backseat was not placed, the resulting niche was the cargo compartment.

But the experience was unsuccessful and after the reduction in production of this car, the ZAZ-968M was also discontinued.

Another global change in Zaporozhye took place in 1998, when a Ukrainian-Korean joint venture with foreign investment was registered in the form of CJSC AvtoZAZ-DEU. and SKD began daewoo cars Lanos, Daewoo Nubira and Daewoo Leganza are the first models of the Korean company created by their own specialists.

History car LANOS (supplied to Russia under the CHANCE brand) is very interesting. This front-wheel drive car, designed by ItalDesign, was first shown back in 1997. In 2002, Daewoo showed a new model called Kalos (in Russia it changed the name, which was incongruous for the Russian ear, to AVEO), but Lanos continued to exist! In 1998, the production of this car was launched in Poland and Ukraine.

And now, for almost 10 years, this car has been one of the best-selling foreign cars in Russia, having proven itself as a workhorse for taxi fleets, courier services, traffic police, and enterprises that use it as a "traveling" car.

In 2003, the plant in Zaporozhye again changed its form of ownership and became a closed joint-stock company with foreign investment “Zaporozhye Automobile Building Plant”. Now 50% of the enterprise is owned by UkrAvto and another 50% - by the Swiss company Hirsch & Cie.

Since 2004, in addition to the ZAZ and Daewoo models, the full-scale production of VAZ-2107, 21093 and 21099 cars has been mastered directly at the Zaporozhye plant, which are still being produced.

An interesting project in the development of the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant was the Opel project.

On March 25, 2003 in Kiev, a cooperation agreement was signed between Ukravto, ZAZ CJSC and Adam Opel AG. According to the contract, the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant in the spring of 2003 began assembling Opel cars of the Vectra, Astra, and Korsa models from vehicle kits imported to Ukraine.

According to the admissions of the auto plants themselves, cooperation with the German auto concern taught the plant workers in German a clear approach to the quality of assembled cars. And, despite the fact that at the moment this cooperation has already been terminated for reasons of economic efficiency, the car manufacturers are still using the quality system, which they have mastered together with German partners.

In 2009, the Zaporizhzhya Automobile Plant started producing cars of the KIA concern at its facilities. Together with Korean partners, 2 models of the Korean concern are being produced at the facilities of ZAZ CJSC, these are KIA Cee "d and KIA Sportage.

But 2010 may become another major milestone in the history of the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant. In December 2010, the main conveyor of ZAZ was delivered new model, which will replace the most popular LANOS (in the Russian Federation since 2009 it is presented as CHANCE).

On the basis of the Chinese Chery A-13, the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant began to produce cars under its own brand ZAZ-FORZA.

Automobile plants already had experience in assembling cars from China, in 2006 at the plant in Ilyichevsk, which is part of ZAZ CJSC, “pilot” lots of Chinese cars were assembled.

And in December 2010, a full-fledged assembly of a new car started on the ZAZ conveyor. It will be supplied not only to the domestic market of Ukraine, but also to The Russian Federation... Base, Comfort, Luxury versions will be presented in sedan and hatchback bodies. At the moment, the cars are undergoing certification tests at the test site in Dmitrov, near Moscow, and in mid-2011 they will already appear at dealerships.

The text of the article and photographs were provided by A.O. Kremlev. - the head of the marketing department of the car dealership "", authorized dealer COMPANY .

In 1956, it was decided to create a small class car at MZMA (Moscow Small Car Plant - now Moskvich JSC). The Italian FIAT-600 was taken as a basis. The car was named Moskvich-444.
So the future "humpback" Zaporozhets ZAZ-965 was born. It was decided to set up serial production of this car in Zaporozhye, on the areas of the former Kommunar combine plant. Before the appearance of the VAZ Oka in the early 1990s, Zaporozhets was the most affordable car, mainly due to its low price - about 3 thousand rubles. For comparison: the price for the VAZ-2101 was about 6 thousand rubles. Moskvich 2140/412 - about 7 thousand rubles Volga GAZ-24 - about 12 thousand rubles.

In 1958, the first Ukrainian car, ZAZ-965, rolled off the assembly line in Zaporozhye. Initially, it was planned to equip the firstborn with an air-cooled 2-cylinder motorcycle engine from the Irbit Motorcycle Plant, but this engine had a lot of drawbacks: it was very noisy, low-powered and had a resource of only 25 thousand km As a result, MeMZ-965 was chosen - a 4-cylinder, air-cooled, developed by NAMI specialists at
based on German bMW engine early 50s.

In 1967, the serial production of its own design began - the ZAZ-966 model. The design of this model began in 1961, but due to a number of circumstances, the 966 entered the assembly line only six years later. This car was equipped with a MeMZ-966 engine with a power of 30 hp. Later, a more powerful one was added to it - MeMZ-968 (40 hp).

In 1971, the ZAZ-968 model appeared, which differed little from the previous model. As it was "eared" it remained (it was also called "soap dish"). This model was mainly equipped with a MeMZ-968 engine, 40 hp and a new improved gearbox. As for the design, in modern terms, it was a facelift model ZAZ-966. Changes affected the main part of the body. There were new bumpers, and rear lights appeared-reversing signals. There was one more change that facilitates storage of the car in urban conditions - the neck of the gas tank was now hidden under the hood engine compartment... (On the 966 it was located openly on the left rear fender ramp.)

In 1980, ZAZ-968M appeared, which got rid of the nickname "eared"
due to the lack of side air intakes. Lattices appeared instead. This Zaporozhets had two nicknames at once: "pop-eyed" and "soap dish". Unlike the previous model, the “emka” had a more modern body design, new bumpers. The electrical system was improved, an alarm appeared. Spare wheel migrated from the trunk to the engine compartment.
The engine and gearbox remained the same - MeMZ-968 (40 hp). A small amount of the ZAZ-968M-005 model was produced with the ZAZ-966G engine (30 hp). The last ZAZ-968M rolled off the assembly line in 1994. This ended the era of the most accessible soviet car.

In 1988 appeared "Tavria" (ZAZ-1102). When developing this model, the basis was taken car ford Fiesta. However, in the process of adapting Tavria to Soviet conditions, the car changed significantly and these changes were not for the better. Compared to the Fiesta, the Tavria decreased in dimensions in width, which negatively affected the space and comfort of the cabin, the design of the entire car was changed, so much so that, in comparison with the Fiesta, the trunk opening turned out to be high, which made loading / unloading luggage much more difficult. (VAZ-2108/09, M2141 and IZH Orbita (ODA) also suffered from this drawback. chassis... The front suspension was almost completely redone, as a result, almost nothing remained of the progressive design of the Fiesta front suspension, which negatively affected the stability of the Tavria on high speeds... This is just a small part of the differences between Tavria and Fiesta. It seems that the designers tried to hide the origin of the car as much as possible. Of course, compared to the previous model (ZAZ-968M), this was a serious step forward, but the restructuring that had begun made its own adjustments.
A stream of cheap used foreign cars poured into the country, often exceeding
many parameters even new domestic cars... But despite this, the demand for domestic cars remained stable and Tavria also found its customers. Last modification This model - Slavuta, with a five-door hatchback body, was released in 2008.

In 1998, cooperation with the Korean company Daewoo Motors began. The JV "AvtoZAZ-Daewoo" was created, which, in addition to the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant, also included the Melitopol Motor Plant (MeMZ) and several other Ukrainian enterprises. In the same year, SKD assembly of Daewoo Lanos, Nubira and Leganza vehicles began.
Production started in 2001 budget model ZAZ Sens. The body for this car was borrowed from the 1997 Daewoo Lanos, the engine and gearbox migrated from Tavria. In Russia, Sens began to be sold only in 2007. In the same 2007, the Daewoo Lanos model underwent a slight restyling and changed its name to Chevrolet lanos (the result of the purchase of a controlling stake in Daewoo Motors by the General Motors concern).

In 2009, cooperation with General Motors, which includes Daewoo, ended. The American partners no longer wanted to renew the contract, as a result, the production of the Chevrolet Lanos model was stopped. However, the leadership Zaporozhye plant decided to continue to produce this car, but already under its own brand - ZAZ Chance... The car has not undergone any changes, only the nameplate on the radiator grill has changed. ... At the same time, the ZAZ Sens model, which was a mixture of Tavria and Daewoo Lanos, was discontinued. In 2012, the ZAZ-Vida model appeared, created on the basis of Chevrolet aveo sample of 2011. ...

ZAZ cars have never been a luxury item. They were aimed at low-income buyers. In the first years of the "thaw" the Council of Ministers decided to master in the USSR the production of a minicar, cheaper than the "Moskvich-401". Out of several projects, we chose the most competent and mature one, developed at MZMA (present-day Moskvich JSC).

The designers of the plant did not reinvent the wheel, but skillfully used the solutions tested by FIAT, Volkswagen and BMW. The first "Zaporozhets" was based on design features and the form of the Italian FIAT-600 (FIAT). The 3A3-965 had a monocoque two-door 4-seater body, an air-cooled rear V-engine, independent all-wheel suspension, and magnesium-cast crankcases and gearboxes.

However, at the MZMA itself there was no free space for the production of a new machine. Therefore, it was decided to master its production in Zaporozhye at the Kommunar agricultural machinery plant. On June 18, 1959, a prototype of the ZAZ-965 "Zaporozhets" car was released, and in October 1960 its serial production began.

In the face of "Zaporozhets" the consumer received a small, but full-fledged car with a four-cylinder engine, four-seater saloon, 13-inch wheels and an almost traditional body shape. Rear location and air cooling engine, independent suspension of all wheels, typical for European small cars, seemed unusual to Soviet motorists. For eight and a half years, ZAZ-965 has been modernized more than once. Has become more powerful engine, the ventilation of the engine compartment and electrical equipment, the rear hood and the front panel were changed.

Without outside help, ZAZ developed a more capacious "Zaporozhets" of the second generation ZAZ-966. The ZAZ-966 "Zaporozhets" car has been produced since November 1966. From ZAZ-965A, he inherited most of the components and assemblies: the MeMZ-966A engine with a power of 30 hp, a gearbox, a suspension. It can be distinguished from subsequent models by the shiny decorative grille on the front end and the metal instrument panel.

The ZAZ-966V modification was distinguished by a 40 hp engine. (1197 cc, compression ratio 7.2, gasoline A-76) and characteristics (curb weight 780 kg, total weight 1080 kg, max speed 120 km / h).

ZAZ-966V with a 40-horsepower engine after the modernization of 1972 received the index ZAZ-968, in the same year its serial production began. External differences from ZAZ-966 are reversing lights, no jumpers in the air intakes and the inscription "Zaporozhets" on the right front fender.

Production of the ZAZ-968A began at the end of 1974. It was distinguished by: a decorative element on the front end, which replaced the grille, double-circuit brake system, more comfortable seats (from VAZ-2101), plastic instrument panel.

From 1980 to 1994, the plant produced a refined version of this car ZAZ-968M. The ZAZ-968M car entered the assembly line in 1979. The body design has undergone significant changes - the front body panel has become convex, the "ears" of the air intakes have been replaced with grilles, the taillights have acquired a more modern rectangular shape. There is less chrome and more black plastic.

From November 1966 to May 1969, ZAZ-965 and ZAZ-966 were produced in parallel. These machines could coexist further: the demand for ZAZ-965 remained, but the planning authorities forced the plant to withdraw from production the "humped" Zaporozhets.

ZAZ-965 " Zaporozhets"

ZAZ-968M was produced with three engine modifications: MeMZ-968E 40 hp. for gasoline A-76 with carburetor K-133 - base model... MeMZ-968GE with a capacity of 45 hp, distinguished by a two-chamber DAAZ-2101-20 carburetor and an intake manifold for it. MeMZ-968BE 50 hp for gasoline A-93, which differed from MeMZ-968GE with an increased compression ratio of up to 8.4 due to a change in the design of the cylinder heads. The production of this last "classic" Zaporozhets was discontinued on July 1, 1994.

ZAZ-968M " Zaporozhets"

There was also a modification ZAZ-968E (export), which differed in headlights that meet international safety standards, a triplex windshield, decorative edging on the glass seals, and an ignition lock with an anti-theft device.

Modifications with manual control were also produced: ZAZ-968B for people without both legs, ZAZ-968B2 for drivers with one leg and 3A3-968P for those who have only one leg and one arm. The production of ZAZ-966 was discontinued in December 1972, and its modifications with manual control - from January 1973.

ZAZ designers have spent about 20 years creating a front-wheel drive small car. The "Tavria" that appeared in 1988, despite its many shortcomings, suited many poor motorists.