AUTONEWS

Russia revives the Soviet-era Volga. But “made in China”

Putin's Russia, a leader who has always shown a certain fixation on the Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991, has decided to revive the Volga cars, the sedans named after the largest European river and the most respected among those manufactured locally during the communist regime. Initially planned for 2024, the Volga's revival suffered some delays, but finally the new models will begin to be delivered to customers from mid-2026. However, unlike the old Soviet-era Volgas, which reflected the (limited) potential of the country's automotive industry, the new Volgas have very little Russian about them, since they were designed and produced by Geely, based on models from this Chinese group.

The Volgas were always among the most sought-after models in the Soviet Union, being the means of transport of choice for the ruling class and top members of the Communist Party. Produced by the Soviet manufacturer GAZ, the Volga was manufactured between 1956 and 2010, with the Gaz Volga 24 going down in history as the best known and most sophisticated, having been produced between 1970 and 1985. The decision to revive the Volga originally came in 2024, with the Russians attempting to rebuild the brand based on chassis from Chinese vehicles from Changan, a state-controlled manufacturer, a strategy that did not work.

The deal fell through, but Russia was determined to recover the Volga, especially since the departure of foreign manufacturers after the invasion of Ukraine left enough room to launch its own brand. Hence, the Russians tried a second time, this time in collaboration with the Chinese company Geely, a private group that, interestingly, is also the largest shareholder of Mercedes, controlling about 10% of the German manufacturer's capital, in addition to 50% of Smart.

Geely designed the first two vehicles for Volga based on two of the models in its range, creating the K50 SUV based on the Geely Monjaro, and the C50 sedan based on the Geely Preface. Both vehicles are around 4.8 meters long and use gasoline combustion engines, specifically 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in-line units that deliver 215 hp and are paired with seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions.

The C50 and K50 differ very little from the Geely models they originate from, with modifications only in terms of grilles, headlights and taillights, as well as some chrome accents. Inside, the differences between the Volga and Geely models are also not evident, and while the first units will be produced in China and exported to Russia, the goal is for them to be manufactured in Nizhny Novgorod, in the former factory abandoned by the Volkswagen Group, which produced VW and Skoda models there. Russia thus intends to recover its production apparatus and update it with more modern technology, in collaboration with the Chinese, with the prospect of later being able to design its own models.

Mundoquatrorodas