A few days ago, the new Lada, called the Iskra Sedan, debuted in Russia. But what do we know about her? The Lada Iskra is AvtoVAZ's first new model in several years, which will go on sale in 2025. The company showed a sedan with four doors, but the range will also include a station wagon and a crossover. The Iskra model is based on a localized version of Renault Group's CMF-B architecture.
As the war in Ukraine continues to rage two and a half years after the Russian invasion, AvtoVAZ has unveiled a new model due to go on sale early next year. Lada Iskra is a small four-door sedan based on a localized version of Renault and Dacia. this model will be followed by wagon and “cross wagon“ (aka crossover).
The Iskra is Lada's first new model in years after the impact of war-related sanctions imposed on Russia by the Western world. According to the company, the innovation will be placed between the outdated Granta and the slightly larger Vesta, further expanding the Lada model range.
In terms of design, the Iskra adopts the “X-Design“ styling language borrowed from the Vesta, with sculpted fenders and modern LEDs. On the other hand, the proportions of the subcompact sedan are reminiscent of the Dacia Logan, hinting at the source of its basis. Or in other words it is a kind of Russian, but with Franco-Romanian DNA.
Lada says the Iskra rides on a “modern global platform that has been redesigned and has become technologically independent”. The company adds that the electronics are “fully localized”, with the addition of around 400 new parts. Reading between the lines, however, it's clear that the platform appears to be a minimally modified version of the CMF-B architecture, which is used by several Renault and Dacia models.
While the Renault Group completely cut ties with Lada in 2022, the Russians took advantage of their previous access to research and development and worked mainly to support local production without any input from France.
AvtoVAZ President Maxim Sokolov says: “In a record short time by the standards of the global automotive industry, we actually recreated this car, making it technologically independent”.
Sokolov also revealed that the total investment for the project has reached 23 billion rubles, which is equivalent to about 258 million dollars at the current exchange rate. He also said that the Lada Iskra is currently in the final stages of development, including “production debugging, fine-tuning and configuration of all vehicle systems”.
New model but old engines. The brand new Lada will not hide any surprises under the hood, as the powertrain options are borrowed from its morally outdated counterparts. The base version will be equipped with a 1.6-liter petrol engine from Granta, producing 89 hp. and coupled with a five-speed manual transmission.
The more powerful 1.6-liter version is borrowed from the Vesta and has a power of 105 hp, and this power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.
Lada Iskra is scheduled to go into production at the Tolyatti plant in early 2025. Pricing will be announced closer to launch. Based on the situation with Russia, it is unlikely that the model will be sold elsewhere.