AvtoVAZ has started mass production of a new crossover, the Lada Azimut, which is one of the most significant additions in the line of the Russian carmaker for many decades. The first production vehicles are now coming off the main assembly line at the company’s Tolyatti factory.
With the launch, Azimut turns from an engineering and certification initiative into a mass-production car. It’s a new crossover based on a deeply upgraded Russian version of the Lada Vesta platform, according to Rostec, with Russian engineers responsible for the vehicle’s idea, packaging, design, engineering, production, and calibration. More than 1,000 unique parts and assemblies were created exclusively for the vehicle, encompassing body panels, chassis and engine components, lighting equipment,, and interior parts.
The car was initially shown during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2025. At the time, it was considered the company’s first all-new crossover in almost three decades. The production launch is significant beyond the introduction of another model, as it is meant to show how far AvtoVAZ has rebuilt its technical and manufacturing capabilities after the transition of the Russian automobile industry after 2022.
A Major Expansion of Lada’s Technology
The Azimut has a much more sophisticated equipment package than many current Lada cars. New to the brand is a heated front side window, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, panoramic roof with sunroof, 360-degree camera system, side curtain airbags, dual-zone climate control, wireless smartphone charging, electrically operated tailgate, and electronic parking brake.
The crossover will include a drive-mode option to customize the car for various road surfaces and driving situations. These features put Azimut technologically ahead of the more traditional members of the Lada line and reflect the evolving expectations of Russian buyers in the crossover market.
A lot of testing has been carried out in the development program. AvtoVAZ has conducted over 100 different tests on the vehicle and its parts, including frontal and side crash tests, side impact against a pole and rear-impact testing.
The company has also been working on a number of powertrain combinations. The announced range includes naturally aspirated 1.6-litre and 1.8-litre petrol engines producing around 120 hp and 132 hp respectively. Reports have also identified a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine of Chinese origin for the model. Production models are likely to use a mix of several engines and manual and automatic (CVT) transmissions, depending on the design.
At the start of manufacturing, AvtoVAZ has confirmed a 132 bhp 1.8-liter engine with an automated transmission, while a 120 bhp 1.6-liter version is linked with a manual gearbox.
Production Will Initially Be Limited
The series production does not mean that Azimut will immediately arrive in huge numbers at Russian dealerships. AvtoVAZ plans to produce several thousand cars in 2026, with output expected to reach tens of thousands in 2027. Sales are slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, with Russian dealers saying delivery might begin as early as the end of the year.
This steady build-up is significant since Azimut is a new production program and not just a facelift of an old Lada. The company has had to bring in new tooling, production controls, and components while integrating the crossover into the existing Tolyatti manufacturing system.
In addition, AvtoVAZ has equipped the production line with high-precision gauges to control the geometry of the crossover’s external and internal components. Such technology has been used in the development of other significant Lada programs.
How Lada Reached This Point
Lada’s origins are in the Soviet era and the founding of AvtoVAZ in Tolyatti. In the 1970s, the business began to produce cars based on Fiat technology, the most renowned of which was the VAZ-2101, and thereafter produced a large family of its own cars.
The Niva, which came onto the market in 1977, was the most widely recognized product of the firm and is still in production today as the Lada Niva Legend. The business then moved into mass-market passenger automobiles, building the Samara, Kalina, Priora, and eventually the Granta.
The Vesta arrived in 2015, then the Largus, then the Aura, and began to define the modern Lada era. More recently, AvtoVAZ has added the Iskra to their current passenger-car portfolio.
The current core model line of Lada is Granta, Iskra, Vesta, Aura, Largus, Niva Travel, and Niva Legend. These vehicles cover a wide range of segments, from low-cost small cars and sedans to station wagons and SUVs.
Since Renault’s exit from AvtoVAZ in 2022, the firm has been rebuilding this portfolio, enhancing localization. In 2025, AvtoVAZ produced more than 324,000 Lada cars, but the corporation has set even higher production goals for the next years.
Why Azimut is important
Azimut fills an important gap in that lineup. So far, Lada’s crossover and SUV efforts have been led by the Niva Legend and Niva Travel, with the Vesta bridging the gap in the traditional passenger-car market. Azimut has created a new crossover for those who want something more modern in the road car segment but yet want to stay with the Lada brand.
So its relevance is more than the number of vehicles manufactured in 2026. AvtoVAZ is trying to produce a new generation of Lada goods, with more localization, more advanced electronics, and substantially increased equipment.
The car is a wholly homegrown development, Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked, and its manufacture will boost the development and technological capabilities of the country’s automotive industry. Industry Minister Anton Alikhanov also stressed the need to increase the range of Lada models and called the Azimut a vehicle appropriate for the increasing popularity of crossovers in Russian cities.
The next big test is to go from initial production batches to sustained volume manufacture, now that series production is begun. Hit the anticipated production numbers by 2027, and Lada Azimut might be one of the key models in the company’s next-generation product strategy.