Concern Renault-Nissan in 2000 acquired sharesRussian company AvtoVAZ. This event contributed to a dramatic change in the domestic automotive industry. Reforms were launched to minimize production costs. This promised the car enthusiasts the release of fairly cheap cars. A vivid example was the model VAZ-2190. Subsequently, the name was changed to Lada Granta.
During development, we economized on everything. And as a result, the manufacturer gave a promise that the new model will cost from 200 thousand rubles. This greatly expanded the consumer market. Of course, such an advertising move involved only the basic equipment. What was proposed in it, we will tell you later.
AvtoVAZ kept its promise, and when the first copies of the VAZ-2190 came off the container, the price did not exceed 230 thousand rubles.
During the development phase, Lada Granta wore a workingname Low cost, which meant "low price". The platform "Kalina" was taken as a basis. Since this model did not reach the planned sales volumes, there remained a lot of unused equipment that was purchased for its assembly. This solution allowed the maximum use of everything that was already in the warehouse. And this, as a result, significantly reduced costs and development time. Thanks to this "Lada Granta" (VAZ-2190) appeared in less than 2 years. Prospects for such rapid development allowed to save about 30%, which influenced the formation of prices.
However, the savings did not end there. In the technological plan, too, everything was reduced to a minimum. If we compare some details of the car, then in the VAZ-2190 their number was reduced threefold or more. The decoration of the doors became very simple, practically without decorative elements, there was no electronics on the instrument panel, the front bumper had the most primitive appearance. The forerunner of this decision was the experience with Renault Logan, which, in turn, ousted the domestic brand from the Russian market.
With the arrival of foreigners in our auto industry,so-called "dummy". What does this mean? The new brand in the basic version is a combination of the chassis, engine and body. This completes the elements of the equipment. It was such a "Grant" (VAZ-2190) was at the promotional price. Surprisingly, drivers installed even simple mirrors and glass here. And elements such as power steering, multimedia, airbags and other equipment could be purchased at an additional cost.
With the "Grant" was associated with several interestingstories. The first is the choice of the name. An advertising move was invented, the goal of which is to bring the car closer to the people as close as possible. Thanks to the slogan "People's car - the national name" it turned out to attract the attention of people of different prosperity. A contest was held, at which the Krasnoyarsk resident became the winner. The prize is the new Lada Kalina. Even here, the company was left to win by handing over an unpopular model.
Another story that happened duringtesting the car VAZ-2190, gave great interest to this model. The debut took place with the participation of the President of the Russian Federation. Putin personally wanted to arrange a test drive, but the manufacturers forgot to warn about the peculiarities of the gas pedal. In the pre-series version, an electronic version was installed. As a result, it was possible to start the car only from the fifth time. After that people's opinions were divided, many considered it an imperfection and an indicator of poor quality of domestic products. However, the interest and attention of the masses were still attracted to the "Grant", and this was what the manufacturer needed.
The exterior of the car leaves much to be desired. It looks pretty dull and simple. For its development, designers took advantage of the computer program, which is worth noting, was obsolete. The resulting layout was so bad that the company had to invite the British specialist Steve Mattin to the post of chief designer.
"Lada Granta" (VAZ-2190) is a B-class sedan, howeverDue to the increased size it is often referred to as the "C" category. The weight of the car is slightly more than one ton, the clearance is 160 mm. Dimensions: 4260х1700х1500 mm. Parameters of the wheelbase did not exceed 2500 mm.
Against the backdrop of the exterior, the interior looks a lotpresentable. However, the aesthetic and ergonomic qualities are inferior even to the cheapest Chinese car. What can please the owner of "Grants"? First of all - a capacious trunk, as for a sedan. Its volume is 480 liters. If compared with the "Kalina", the superiority was 80 units. Also, the advantage of the cabin is a sufficient amount of free space. As for the remaining elements, their use is reduced to a minimum.
VAZ-2190 is equipped with only two typesgasoline units. They have the same volume, but differ in the technical characteristics of the timing and the piston group. The 1.6 engines comply with Euro-4 standards. The eight-valve develops a power of 87 liters. with., and sixteen - 106 liters. from. Both motors are equipped with electrically controlled distribution injection.
It was noticed by the owners of "Lada Grants", that inwinter time, the engines start from the half-turn, and this characterizes them from the positive side. The 8-valve unit is completed with a manual transmission (5 degrees), and 16 - automatic Jatco (4 stages).
Like the rest of the VAZ brand, Lada Granta is available in three versions: