Restyling and its own turbo engine: how the popular budget crossover “Moskvich 3” will be updated
The “Moskvich” plant is preparing a restyling of the crossover “Moskvich 3”, which will continue to be sold for at least another five years. The exterior update may be combined with a transition to stamping of body panels, the company’s general director Elena Frolova told Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of the magazine “Behind the Wheel.”
According to Frolova, when localization of the Moskvich 3 crossover began, the plant received technical documentation from partners, but the car itself was still developing, so some changes weren’t reflected in the documentation. The plant’s engineers had to adjust the production process at more than 250 points.
“The next major stage is stamping body panels, which we plan to begin in approximately 18 months. By this time, the Moskvich 3 may receive an exterior update, and it would be logical to create stamping tooling for the updated model,” said Elena Frolova.
Therefore, the preparation of tooling for body parts is expected to be carried out taking into account a possible restyling of the crossover. In the future, the Moskvich 3 is scheduled to receive scheduled exterior and interior updates, and the model itself will remain in the brand’s lineup for at least another five years.
During a discussion about deepening localization, Frolova also announced plans to localize production of the 1.5-liter turbo engine from the Moskvich 3. According to her, the plant is seriously considering this project and is looking for partners with whom to share the necessary investments. The issue concerns investments in casting the cylinder block and cylinder head, as well as their subsequent machining.
The head of Moskvich emphasized that the plant must always find a balance between an affordable price, equipment, and production costs. The main goal is to offer customers a modern, Russian-made crossover. The price guide for such a car starts from 1.8 million rubles, specified Elena Frolova.
