Russian firm to make electric car with Chinese parts

Russia’s largest car manufacturer, AutoVAZ, has revealed plans to produce its first electromotive car using Chinese parts.

Named EL LADA, the new car will be based on the Lada Kalina sedan. A concept car would be presented at the Moscow International Car Show, slated for Aug 29 to Sep 9, reported Xinhua.

The first production models will roll off the assembly line this fall and have already been ordered by the administration of a southern Stavropol region to be used as city cabs.

According to the manufacturer’s website, the price of an EL LADA hovers around one million rubles ($33,000). It will not be sold to private owners initially.

Except the car’s body frame, all other parts of the model are foreign made. The car’s “heart”, its electric battery, is made in China, and other parts are made in Switzerland.

According to the company, the electric engine would drive the car up to 130 km per hour for a distance of 150 km before needing to be recharged. Recharging from a common socket will take eight hours.

Besides the electric Lada, AutoVAZ will present 15 other prospective or recently modified models at the auto show.

The AutoVAZ plant is located in the city of Tolgiatty in central Russia’s Samara region and has about 66,000 workers.

www.lada-auto.ru