ZAZ (Zaporozhye Automobile Plant) is a Ukrainian company specializing in the production of cars six famous brands: Chevrolet, Opel, Mercedes-Benz, Chery, VAZ and ZAZ. All models are produced according to one of two technologies: assembly from car kits - large assembly complexes, or by the full-fledged method automotive production, including welding and painting of the body, its assembly, and then the assembly of a complete car.
The history of the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant began in the distant 1863, when the Dutchman Abraham Koop opened four small workshops producing agricultural machinery and equipment. In 1908, the Melitopol Motor Plant (MeMZ) was founded to produce stationary engines. internal combustion. Currently, MeMZ is structural subdivision CJSC "ZAZ" In 1923, the plant was renamed "Kommunar" and until the end of the 1950s specialized in the production of agricultural machinery. In 1959 the first experienced car"Zaporozhets" ZAZ-965, which at one time was a cult among motorists of the Soviet Union.
In 1960, with the start of production of compact cars of the 965th model, the plant was renamed Zaporozhye car factory. The shape and some design features of the 965th received from Italian car FIAT-600. "Zaporozhets" was equipped with a two-door four-seater body type. V-shaped motor, located at the back, was cooled with air. Suspension on all wheels performed independent. The gearbox, like the crankcases, was cast from magnesium alloy. "Zaporozhets" was considered the most affordable model during the years of stagnation and virtually unchanged was produced for eight years.
On our website Auto.dmir.ru in the catalog of stamps you will find current ads for the sale of the legendary "Zaporozhets" with detailed description specifications and photo.
In 1970, the updated Zaporozhets - ZAZ-966, which was radically different from its predecessor, rolled off the assembly line. In subsequent years, several more modifications were released, which became the development of this particular model. In total for the period from 1960 to 1994. 3,422,444 Zaporozhets cars were manufactured.
It was on the basis of ZAZ cars that they began production specialized machines for people with disabilities. The production of such cars accounted for a third of the total production of the Zaporozhye plant. Moreover, these cars also differed in their purpose, depending on the capabilities of a person: to drive only with his hands or with one leg and one hand - the options for cars for the disabled were different.
In the early 1970s, it became apparent that the rear-engined design was obsolete. As a result, the development of cars with a front engine was started. So in 1973, the first copies of the car with the index 1102 - "Tavria" were designed. However, mass production of the model was started only in 1988. At the same time, the production of internal combustion engines with liquid cooling of the cylinder block was organized in Melitopol.
Model "Tavria" - a small car with a new liquid-cooled engine, which is located transversely in front of the body, was produced from 1988 to 2008. Since 1995, the production of ZAZ-1105 "Dana" began - a modification with a station wagon body. At the same time, the Slavuta model 1103 with a liftback body was also presented, but its mass production began only in 1999.
In May 1998, a joint Ukrainian-Korean enterprise called AvtoZAZ-Daewoo was formed. In 1999, the ZAZ-1102 began to replace the Tavria Nova on the assembly line, a modification created jointly with Daewoo and aimed at eliminating identified shortcomings and improving technical and operational indicators. In addition, SKD assembly of cars has started. Daewoo Lanos, Nubira, Leganza at the Ilyichevsk Plant of Automotive Units (KhRP "IZAA").
In 2004, the production of Russian VAZ-21093, 21099 and foreign brands- Lanos (T-150) and Opel Astra G.
In 2005, Lanos-van models were developed, and the production of buses of the I-VAN brand based on TATA began at the IZAA plant.
In May 2006, ZAZ bought the FSO Motor S.A. car factory in Poland, which supplied components to Ukraine for assembling the model. ZAZ Lanos. In the same year, a range of passenger cars was mastered Chinese cars Chery.
In 2009, the plant produced ZAZ-Sens models (based on Daewoo Lanos using Ukrainian components), Tavria-Slavuta; collects Opel cars, Chevrolet, Chery and VAZ. Started cooperation with Kia Motors.
One of the latest innovations in the model range of the manufacturer - a C-class passenger car called Forza. Mass production models launched on January 15, 2011. The car is available in liftback and hatchback body styles. The sale of the new model is carried out with a 1.5-liter engine with a capacity of 109 hp. Paired with the engine is a five-speed mechanics. Max speed of the car is 160 km / h, fuel consumption in the urban cycle is 9.7 l / 100 km, in the extra-urban cycle - 5.8 l / 100 km, in the mixed - 7.2 l / 100 km. According to the toxicity standards, Forza meets EURO-4 standards.
In 1956, at MZMA (Moscow Plant Subcompact Cars- now JSC "Moskvich"), it was decided to create a small class car. The Italian FIAT-600 was taken as a basis. The car was named Moskvich-444.So the future "humpbacked" Zaporozhets ZAZ-965 was born. It was decided to start mass production of this car in Zaporozhye, on the premises of the former Kommunar combine plant. Before the appearance of the VAZ Oka in the early 1990s, Zaporozhets was the most affordable car, mainly because of its low price - about 3 thousand rubles. For comparison: the price of a 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, the ZAZ-965, left the assembly line in Zaporozhye. At first, it was planned to complete the first-born with a motorcycle 2-x cylinder engine With air-cooled Irbit motorcycle plant, but this engine had a lot of drawbacks: it was very noisy, low-power and had a resource of only 25 thousand km. As a result, the MeMZ-965 was chosen - a 4-cylinder, air-cooled, developed by NAMI specialists at
basis german engine BMW start 50s. 
In 1967, serial production began. own development- ZAZ-966 models. The design of this model began back in 1961, but due to a number of circumstances, the 966th got on the assembly line only six years later. The MeMZ-966 engine with a power of 30 hp was installed on this car. 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 he was "eared" and remained (it was also called "soap box"). 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 models ZAZ-966. The changes affected mainly the front part of the body. There were new bumpers, and back lights appeared reversing. There was another change to make it easier to store the car in urban areas - the gas tank neck was now hidden under the hood of the engine compartment. (On the 966, it was located openly on the slope of the rear left fender). 
In 1980, the ZAZ-968M appeared, which got rid of the nickname "eared"
due to the lack of side air intakes. Instead, bars appeared. This Zaporozhets had two nicknames at once: “pop-eyed” and “soap box”. Unlike the previous model, "emka" had more modern design bodywork, new bumpers. The electrical system has been improved, alarm. Spare wheel moved from trunk to engine compartment.
The engine and gearbox remained the same - MeMZ-968 (40 hp). The ZAZ-968M-005 model with the ZAZ-966G engine (30 hp) was produced in a small amount. The last ZAZ-968M left the assembly line in 1994. This ended the era of the most accessible soviet car.
In 1988, the Tavria (ZAZ-1102) appeared. This model was developed on the basis of ford car Fiesta. However, in the process of adapting Tavria to Soviet conditions, the car changed significantly and these changes were not better side. Compared to the Fiesta, the Tavria decreased in size in width, which negatively affected the space and comfort of the cabin, the design of the entire car was changed, so much so that, compared to 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 shortcoming. The chassis. The front suspension was almost completely redone, as a result, there was practically nothing left of the progressive design of the Fiesta front suspension, which negatively affected the stability of Tavria on high speeds. This is only 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. Certainly compared to previous model(ZAZ-968M) it was a serious step forward, but the restructuring that had begun made its own adjustments. 
A flood 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. The latest modification of this model - Slavuta, with a five-door hatchback body, was released in 2008.
In 1998, cooperation with the Korean company Daewoo Motors began. The AvtoZAZ-Daewoo joint venture 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 began Daewoo cars Lanos, Nubira and Leganza. 
Released in 2001 budget model ZAZ Sens. The body for this car was borrowed from the Daewoo Lanos of 1997, the engine and gearbox migrated from Tavria. In Russia, Sens began to sell only in 2007. In the same year 2007 Daewoo model Lanos survived a light restyling and changed its name to Chevrolet Lanos(result of purchase by the Group General Motors controlling stake in Daewoo Motors).
In 2009, cooperation with General Motors, which includes Daewoo, ended. American partners no longer wanted to renew the contract, as a result, the release Chevrolet models Lanos has been stopped. However, the leadership Zaporozhye plant decided to continue producing this car, but under its own brand - ZAZ Chance. The car has not undergone any changes, only the nameplate on the grille has changed. . At the same time, the ZAZ Sens model, which was a mixture of Tavria and Daewoo Lanos, was discontinued. In 2012 appeared ZAZ model-Vida based on Chevrolet Aveo sample of 2011. .
ZAZ is the legendary Zaporozhye Automobile Building Plant since the Soviet era, an enterprise for the production of cars and vans, as well as buses. Located in Zaporozhye (Ukraine), today it is part of the UkrAvto corporation.
Current car reviews, owner reviews, ZAZ news:
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Owner reviews Chevrolet Lanos (ZAZ Chance):
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The history of ZAZ goes back to 1863, when in Aleksandrovsk (until 1922 the glorious Soviet city of Zaporozhye was called, also known as the location of the large-scale DneproGES), Abraham Koop (Dutch) opened a plant for the production of agricultural machines.
In 1908, the opening of the Melitopol engine plant(now a division of ZAZ) for the production of internal combustion engines, from this date the actual history of the ZAZ company begins.
Since 1923, Kommunar (the old name of ZAZ) has been producing combines and agricultural machinery.
Cars at the Kommunar plant they began to produce only in 1960 (ZAZ 965).
In 1961, Kommunar was renamed ZAZ, so sometimes the official history of ZAZ is considered from that time.
In 1970, the ZAZ 966 car saw the light, followed by the ZAZ 968 and ZAZ 968M.
Reviews of ZAZ cars of that time emphasized rear location air-cooled engine, cars were distinguished by their simplicity of design and excellent cross-country ability, which many can only envy modern crossovers. During the release from 1960 to 1994, 3,422,444 Zaporozhets left the assembly line.
Since 1987, the plant has been producing the new ZAZ 1102 Tavria, front-wheel drive compact hatchback With liquid cooled engine.
Created in 1998 joint venture AvtoZAZ-Daewoo, the SKD assembly of the Ukrainian car market bestseller Daewoo Lanos begins.
In 1999, models based on Tavria appeared - ZAZ 1103 Slavuta and ZAZ 1105 Dana.
2000 - modernization and release of the updated ZAZ 1102 Tavria-Nova, the Sens model (Lanos body with a 1.3-liter Melitopol engine).
In 2004, after a period of large-scale modernization, the history of ZAZ continues - the company begins to produce Daewoo Lanos, VAZ 21093, VAZ 21099, Opel Astra G with a high proportion of Ukrainian components.
2006 start of cooperation with Chinese Chery, the engines of the ZAZ model range comply with Euro 2.
2007 - Daewoo Lanos is renamed ZAZ Lanos, for the Russian market ZAZ Chance, production of the ZAZ Lanos pick-up pick-up has begun.
2009 - the plant manufactures ZAZ Lanos, ZAZ Lanos Hatchback, ZAZ Sens(ZAZ Chance), ZAZ Lanos pick-up, Chevrolet, Chery, VAZ-210934-20 and VAZ-210994-20 models.
Launched at the end of 2010 ZAZ Forza(sedan and hatchback) - analogue of Chery A13.
In 2012, a new model for ZAZ was put on the conveyor ZAZ Vida(sedan and hatchback), essentially the previous Chevrolet generation Aveo.
On the Russian market, ZAZ novelties are represented by two models: ZAZ Chance sedan and ZAZ Chance hatchback (equipped with 1.3 liter 70 hp or 1.5 liter 86 hp engines).
Available to Ukrainian customers: ZAZ Lanos pick-up, ZAZ Lanos, ZAZ Sens, ZAZ Lanos Hatchback, ZAZ Sens Hatchback, ZAZ Vida, ZAZ Forza, ZAZ Forza Hatchback.
Since its release in 1998, ZAZ Lanos (Daewoo Lanos) has been one of the best selling and popular models on the Ukrainian market. With access to Russian market its analogue ZAZ Chance is gaining more and more confident positions in its class.
Zaz Chance is budget car with front wheel drive. It is produced by the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant (ZAZ). The choice of buyers is provided in the version of a sedan and hatchback. The car received this name for the Russian consumer. It is known to Ukrainian buyers as ZAZ Lanos. Another car is popular as Chevrolet Lanos and Daewoo Lanos. At home, in Ukraine, Lanos is the undisputed leader in sales, and for the past five years. The history of the model dates back to 1997. The entire range of ZAZ.
Appearance
Since 2009, the ZAZ Chance model has become available to Russians. Over the years, the car has not undergone big changes. If we take modern standards, then, of course, the appearance of Chance is a bit boring. The model received rounded body shapes that converge in style with drop-like headlights and taillights.
Appearance stepped forward, making ZAZ by car more modern. Solid metal body, load-bearing type. It looks nice, and the fitting of body parts and panels is at a good level. 17 mm clearance allows you to easily "swallow" light pits and potholes. Comes with small wheels R13-R14.
Interior
ZAZ Chance purchased slightly different chairs. Now the seats have lateral support. And here steering wheel still does not have any adjustments for either reach or height. Objectively speaking, there is not much free space in the car, and therefore tall people may not be very comfortable both behind the wheel and in the passenger seats.
The entire front panel is made of hard plastic, as is the skin of the front cards. The panel is cast from a monolithic piece, which discards all sorts of squeaks that are absent even on used cars. IN basic version mirrors are manually adjustable and absent power windows. Going to rear seats you can see that it is a bit cramped both in height and in the knees.
But two people of average height and size will feel quite comfortable. driver's seat Not height adjustable, only length. The controls got their logical location. Pleased with additional, for rear passengers air ducts, which, of course, makes him a compliment.
Although the trunk is not one of the largest in the class, as, for example,
Exactly ten years ago, ZAZ produced more than 280 thousand new cars. And this is only for one year 2007! In those days, the leadership of the Zaporozhye Automobile Building Plant had one problem - there would be enough capacity ...
Today, the Ukrainian auto giant has another acute question - how to survive. Moreover, information about the visits of foreign guests to ZAZ has recently been disseminated on the Web.
Is the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant really on the verge of closure, what does it “breathe” with and does it have prospects - Autocentre.ua found out
Our journalists have repeatedly visited AvtoZAZ, however, often the reasons were good - expansion model line, the appearance of new equipment, etc. This time, the reason for the visit was unverified rumors about the catastrophic state of the plant and losses. It is enough to know that in 2016 ZAZ received UAH 602.81 million. net loss.
From the good - a year earlier they were even more. And this means that the patient is still more alive than dead.
Upon arrival in Zaporozhye, the first thing that set us up for optimism was the meeting of journalists on the new ZAZ A10 bus, which had already found a place under the sun in the Old World.
No money but you hold on
On the way to the enterprise, journalists immediately bombarded the first persons of the automobile plant with questions. How many more Lanos will be produced, why are there no new models when prices finally drop, etc. I confess that top managers reacted very painfully to them, but, as it seemed to me, they answered sincerely and with hope. But what I remember most of all is what prevents Ukraine from producing “normal” cars.
It turns out that it is enough to project the experience of neighboring Slovakia, more precisely, its legislation - the state compensates up to 70% of investments in the automotive industry and rewards for each new workplace. In Ukraine, the attitude of the state towards the automotive industry is, to put it mildly, indifferent, so there is no need to talk about creating attractive conditions for investors. The same applies to tax policy, when, for example, when importing equipment, etc. for production, you also need to pay VAT.
Also, as an example, in Zaporozhye they point to Belarus and Uzbekistan. The latter, until recently associated with cotton and melons, is now in full swing producing and selling cars throughout Eastern Europe. As for Belarus, there are also advances, which is confirmed by Lukashenka's recent statement about the need to create a Belarusian electric car.
By the way, ZAZ is also trying to follow global trends. According to management, ZAZ plans to release a large one for Novaya Pochta and is preparing, which, most likely, will be exported to Poland. In the future, it would be quite possible to produce at the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant electric cars and buses for sale within the country, but on this moment this is unlikely - there is no incentive to purchase such vehicles from the state, and the cost batteries So far, it does not allow the production of ZAZ electric vehicles accessible to Ukrainians.
At the moment, the plant produces mainly Lanos and Sens. ZAZ Vida on the conveyor is much less common. A production line ZAZ Forza and completely preserved. It must be said that there were fewer people - in the past years of the peak of car sales in Ukraine, everything was “seething” here, and robots worked 20 hours a day. Well, today part of the equipment is idle, and the staff has been optimized accordingly - many who had to leave the enterprise, according to the plant management, are leaving the city. Among them are valuable personnel, the preparation of which took years.
For 9 months, 6 and a half hundred new cars rolled off the assembly line. This is actually negligible and may not even cover energy costs. By the way, in order to save money, engineers had to “rethink” and optimize costs. Therefore, part of the work was shifted to the shoulders of people - in order to save personnel and save on electricity.
In order for the conveyor not to stop once and for all, as Nikolai Evdokimenko, the director of the enterprise, says, they had to shrink and limit themselves to the production of 25 cars per day.
Not Lanos alone
Now it is Sens and Lanos who help ZAZ survive. And we are talking not only about the Ukrainian market, but also about Egypt, where the Ukrainian company exports stampings for Lanos and Aveo.
The management agrees that without a "new breath" the once-mighty auto giant is waiting for its last breath. And ZAZ has a solution to the problem - a crossover and a new Slavuta.
In Zaporozhye, they are ready to produce the ZAZ crossover, which may be Chery Tiggo2 already familiar to Ukrainians. Cherie again, "our brand" again? This can be treated differently, but do not forget that ZAZ is one of the few full-cycle plants with high level localization. That is, most parts and components are made in Ukraine and by Ukrainians.
And these are jobs, the regional economy, etc. As for Slavuta, many probably remember how in 2016, created on the basis of the conceptual Chery Riich G2, it made a surprisingly lot of noise and caused heated discussions on the Web. This means that people are still waiting and believing that AvtoZAZ will finally release something new and affordable. And most importantly, your...
The plant says that they would be happy to launch a new model. Assert that there are ideas technical possibility There is. What is missing? Investments, the economic policy of the state, focused on the development of the industry, or, at least, the definition of priorities by the government. After all, when, when, namely now, it is difficult for ZAZ to compete with customs-cleared cars from Europe and, let's be frank, with the new state employees of the Uzbek Ravon.
“So let them make their cars cheaper,” you say. Yes, this could probably help get out of the “financial hole”, but the infamous events in the Donbass have led to the fact that foreign investors are not only afraid to invest, but are even wary of visiting the plant, explaining this by the proximity of the front line, to which only 200 km.
Moreover, recently ZAZ has been buying metal from… Slovakia. Paradox: one of the most powerful countries in the metallurgy market buys metal abroad. For what? Ukraine does not produce metal suitable for car bodies. Earlier, the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant bought it in Russia, but for obvious reasons changed the supplier, and now pays for this product in foreign currency. And this, of course, is reflected in the cost of cars.
Close and forget?
To be honest, many Ukrainians believe that ZAZ should be closed and forgotten about. Judging by the inaction of the government, statesmen are in solidarity with the people. Of course, this is an option, because public opinion says that it is better to take a used foreign car than a new ZAZ. But if we keep thinking like this, everything can end up with only shopping and entertainment centers remaining in Ukraine, and the once powerful enterprises will be converted into pubs and loft spaces for freelancers. I do not exclude that it will be even more profitable, but is it right?
Despite the difficult situation, ZAZ top managers say that they do not expect financial assistance and preferences, but simply want to get a clear position from the state on the country's development vector for the foreseeable future, which can help potential investors understand the "rules of the game" and, possibly, attract them attention. Moreover, nothing needs to be created from scratch, since there is a huge potential.
That is, if Ukraine defines itself as an agrarian country, the plant will be retrained for the production of agricultural machinery. If aviation - this is also solvable. They want to transfer Ukrainians to electric cars - and this is possible. But so far, the leadership of the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant and its staff, like you and me, are in a “hedgehog in the fog” state, and even if the enterprise itself is trying to enlighten the foggy future with its “foglights”, visibility is still almost zero ...
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