Losers Russian car

We remember best. And how many models and projects have not succeeded, but at the time seemed so promising debut? That's our hit parade of models and entire projects, sometimes very competent, who failed to realize their potential.

I'll tell you when everything.





Chevrolet Viva

The "Viva" were all the ingredients for success. Opel Astra previous (at the time) was popular generations of Russians, and now the Russian adaptation and assembly facilities in the GM-AvtoVAZ in Togliatti, sulivshaya interesting price. In 2005, Viva was what we now call the budget foreign car, but the failure was so epic that most Russians had not even heard of the Chevrolet Viva. The model was removed from production in 2008, but in fact she had died earlier.

The reason - the price. I was at the launch of Viva, and the average packaging beautiful requested 333,000 rubles, but just a couple of weeks the price suddenly soared to fifty dollars. The situation is aggravated by the presence of more modern, spacious Ford Focus for comparable money and more complete sets. Then came the Renault Logan and away we go ...



Chery Amulet

He burst onto the market and created the impression that the "Chinese" can also. Perelitsovanny Seat Toledo early 90s looked clumsy, smelled bad and was broken, but the price the Russians attracted exotic at the time the body liftback and promises of sellers (almost Volkswagen for a reasonable price).

Total failure can not say: Yet tens of thousands of Russians obamuletilis. Until now, "Amulet" is the best-selling "Chinese" in Russia, but the success could be much greater.

In 2008, after the fatal crash test "Auto Review" sales have fallen sharply, and "Amulet", as the Chinese models, quietly took his leave to make room for new applicants, this time one hundred percent quality and safe. How are they called? No longer remember.



Fiat Albea

Budget exclusive car appeared at the height of interest in such machines. The popular class Chelninsky assembly, good reviews ...
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However, the real power in Russia Albea and did not, giving the other "public sector", such as Renault Logan and Hyundai Accent. Perhaps, he said the negative image of the Italian manufacturer and the presence of strong competitors - "Logan" ceteris paribus was cheaper and offered a wider choice of complete sets.

In the final story Sollers broke relations with Fiat, «married" at Ford, and Albea lost a chance to take revenge.



Ssang Yong Rodius

Victim designers, Rodius looked homebrew twig decorating a predominantly ratings of the most unprepossessing car in the world. Sales did not exceed a hundred a year, which, by the standards of the segment was not so hopeless. But leaders like Ford S-Max, the day differed such editions as "Yong" - in the past month. Minivans - cars seem to be rational, not kitsch, but in the tops of the time were mainly representatives of cute segment as S-Max and Grandis.

This in itself was not bad Rodius: large, automatic, diesel, on request - with all-wheel drive. I could be middling.



Large and nepremialnye: Renault Vel Satis, Opel Signum, Citroen C6, Peugeot 607, KIA Opirus, Volkswagen Phaeton

This is not a car, but a whole class of losers: premium car brands nepremialnyh. "Vel Satis" and "Signum" trying to impress a client unformatted class hatchback, but it did not help.

Citroen C6 The same cost as the Lexus GS, and slightly adding to Vel Satis, you could buy a full Mercedes-Benz E-Class or Audi A6. Fans of these machines were on average every 3-5 days. It is in the best years. And all over Russia.

However, and overseas demand for large sedans folk was miserable: all (except the Phaeton) disappeared from the scene.

Phaeton in general stands out among these machines on the one hand, initially its sales fell short of expectations imposed on the other, he found an audience - for example, among the lovers of luxury who do not want to attract too much attention. In addition, the Volkswagen Group has a number of premium brands (Audi, Bentley, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti) and can afford such experiments.



TagAZ Vega (C100)

The ambitious project "Taganrog Automobile Plant" was to be a stepping stone for the future. The car developed by the factory in the Korean unit TagAZ Korea with a view to repeat the success of the Hyundai Accent. A combination of genetics Korean and Russian production gave hope of success.

But you can hardly see the "Vega" on the streets. It quickly became clear that it was made based on stolen blueprints, presumably, from the Chevrolet Lacetti, and litigation with GM DAT are not allowed to "TAGAZ" deploy a full release. Two years later, the plant was fined nine million and production of the "Vega" was completely stopped.

In addition to the "Vega" mortal threat hung over the plant itself. In the past year, "TagAz" announced another own development, Akvella, about which little is known so far. Most likely, it was a desperate attempt to attract a major investor.



Ural "Chinese»

Industrial Ural tried several times to conceive their own passenger car industry in 2005 to "Zlatoust Machine Building Plant", which once was producing ballistic missiles, established the assembly of Chinese SUV Dadi Shuttle, and in 2008 I was in the factory AMOUR in the closed city of Novouralsk, previously occupied by the military " ZILami. " Here, let the budget sedanchik Geely Otaka.

In both cases, the machine is not in demand: Fog brand, incomprehensible manufacturer, Chinese taint. Reduce price hinder trade barriers, and the projects themselves were originally created "on the knee", without global investment. In Zlatoust "shuttle" collected on the stocks by SKD, not hiding, just take the empty square. On-Amur process established serious was the pipeline and plans for the location, but the crisis of 2008 summed up. It turned out to be inappropriate and another crash test «Auto Review».

In any case, the modern market takes a machine built by professionals at specialized plants and conversion are not leftovers from the vacancy.



Samand

Exotic producing country - Iran - is balanced by the fact that the Samand - are perelitsovanny Peugeot 405, which is produced under license from the plant Iran Khodro (he also did the Peugeot 206 for the Russian market).

Samand came to a moderate level of sales, but then the problems started with the supply, then - a crisis. Fully it failed to shine, and for many "horse-Samand" and remained a dark horse.

In many ways, the fate of such projects solved limits of the Russian market: to get the benefits, you had to collect the car in the country in large enough quantities. The imported machinery have a chance to place under the sun, only with well-known brand and excellent reputation, as, for example, Mitsubishi Lancer IX.

The "Iran Khodro" in Russia had no reputation, no desire to win. Although consumer qualities Samand was very, very good.



Seat Altea Freetrack

Turned out to be unpopular, even by the standards of class minivans, although embodies the dream of many Russians about the ideal car. Practical and versatile crossover hunchback in one bottle. Add to that the reputation of concern VAG, and a very reasonable price. Now 211-strong "Fritrek" four-wheel drive and a good bundle is 1, 17 million - many cheaper "Koreans».

All problems "Fritreka" refers rather to the field of psychology. Russians prefer minivans these crossovers, Seat is not too popular, in principle, and the design Altea, already on the fan, exacerbating the gloomy version overlays Freetrack.

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That's all I wanted to say.



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