The Volga car's logo is a Russian male reindeer.
It is a specific symbol of Russian reindeer culture, embodying people’s spiritual worship of reindeer.
It symbolizes that the Volga car is as tough, tenacious, outstanding in performance as the reindeer, but also has a certain wildness.
This car logo has two forms.
One is a sculpture of a galloping stag on the front of the car.
One is a flat trademark.
Russian version
There is also an English version
Before talking about the history of Volga cars, we first talk about the history of Gorky Automobile Factory. At that time, Volga cars were manufactured by Gorky For the models produced by the automobile factory, the Gorky Automobile Plant is shortened to "Gaz Factory" by the Chinese according to the pronunciation of its Russian abbreviation GAZ.
The models produced by the factory are also called Gas cars.
The Gorky Automobile Plant was established in 1930 and launched the first GAZ AA truck in 1932. Before the official launch of the GAZ 21 under the Volga brand, the Gorky Automobile Plant was already in mass production. There are various models of GAZ cars, including trucks, minibuses, cars, jeeps, and even armored vehicles. The predecessor of the first Volga car GAZ 21 was GAZ M20 Pobeda (Pobeda means victory). Produced from 1946 to 1958, it was powered by a 2.1L inline 4-cylinder engine with a maximum power of 52 horsepower (39 kilowatts).
On October 10, 1956, the first Volga brand car was successfully assembled at the Gorky Automobile Plant of the former Soviet Union, named Volga Gas 21.
The first batch of GAZ 21 models to roll off the production line was completed with the assistance of Ford, and there were only three cars.
As soon as it was launched, it was favored by the police and taxi drivers, and also won the favor of the Soviet government agencies at that time.
This model was designed by Lev Yeremeev. The main design elements of the exterior are influenced by American models, and the interior is also based on Ford's O-Matic. In terms of power, it is the Volga produced in 1956. The GAZ 21 is equipped with a 2.1L inline four-cylinder engine improved from its predecessor GAZ-M20 Pobeda, with a maximum power of 65 horsepower. In 1957-1958, the Volga GAZ 21 was replaced with the model ZMZ-21A. 2.445L four-cylinder engine with a maximum power of 70 horsepower, and a 3-speed manual transmission from Ford of the United States.
Since then, the Volga car has become famous all over the world as a symbol of the former Soviet Union and the Russian automobile industry.
Today, the Volga car has experienced ups and downs for more than half a century, carrying the emotions of generations of people in the former Soviet Union and Russia.
The Volga car with a history of more than 50 years is the symbol of Russian cars and the national car of Russia. Its history of more than 50 years has witnessed the changes in the Soviet Union and Russian society.
In October 1958, the Volga Gas 21 underwent a facelift. The most obvious change of the new car was that the original air intake grille was replaced with a 16-slat vertical grille. In addition, the wheels and taillights have also undergone simple changes.
In 1962, the new car was improved again. This time the changes included upgrades in appearance, interior and technology, but the most noteworthy one is the travel version of the GAZ based on the GAZ 21 design. Production of the S-22 and the GAZ-23 with a 5.53-liter V8 engine specially customized for the KGB agency (the former Soviet Union's National Security Council, an intelligence and counterintelligence agency of the former Soviet Union) also began in 1962.
In 1958, the Volga sedan equipped with a domestic engine from the former Soviet Union was unveiled at the Brussels International Industrial Show and won the highest award in one fell swoop.
At that time, people commented on its smooth body lines and unique decoration.
During the former Soviet Union, Volga cars were hailed as "the pride of the Soviet automobile industry" and "socialist high-end cars" and were exported to 75 countries, including China.
The Belgians called it a "tank on wheels" and the British called it a "horse that can carry heavy loads."
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By 1960, although the GAZ 21 was still quite popular, its design gradually became outdated.
At this point, Gorky Automobile Plant has also begun to develop the next generation of products.
In 1967, Volga's brand-new GAZ-24 began mass production. The first batch of 24 vehicles was mass produced, and large-scale production began after 1970.
The development of GAZ 24 can be basically divided into three generations. The first generation model was produced from 1970 to 1977; the second generation model was produced from 1977 to 1985; and the third generation model was produced from 1982 to 1992. .
Among them, the first-generation model mainly replaced the leaf springs, a new ignition device, and removed the rearview mirror on the hood; while the second-generation model received a new bumper, a telescopic Seat belts, front fog lights and a new instrument panel. In addition, the front seats have also been changed to independently adjustable seats.
Of course, GAZ 24 also has many derivative versions, including GAZ 24-01 specially built for taxis, travel version GAZ 24-12, GAZ 24 convertible, truck, The 4-wheel-drive version of the Jeep and the GAZ 24-24 5.53L V8 model specially built for the KGB. Among them, the GAZ 24-24 model specially built for the KGB used a lot of advanced equipment at the time, including 3-speed automatic transmission
At the same time, in 1982, the GAZ 3102 was produced in Russia on a small scale as an upgraded version of the third-generation GAZ 24.
On the outside, it has been given a new front face, while inside it has been equipped with a new instrument panel and a three-spoke steering wheel.
In terms of power, it is equipped with a ZMZ-4022 in-line 4-cylinder engine with a maximum power of 105 horsepower (78 kilowatts). This model was produced until 2010, and underwent a mid-term upgrade in 1997. Changes include a new 5-speed manual transmission, the addition of a power steering system, four-wheel disc brakes, 15-inch wheels, etc. The power has also been upgraded from the previous 105 horsepower to 130 horsepower. Of course, the 5.53 is specially built for the police and the KGB. L's GAZ 3012 V8 model was also produced, and this model was produced until 1996.
The production of GAZ 24 did not stop until 1992, and it achieved considerable success in the export market. It was the most sold model in the history of Gorky Automobile Factory, with a total of 600,000 units.
The most common model of Volga in China is the GAZ 24.
Even after the reform and opening up, we can still see this classic face.
In the field of high-end official cars at that time, apart from Dahongqi and Lao Shanghai, GAZ 24 became the most commonly used car, with benefits that only bureau-level cadres could enjoy.
In the late 1980s, its status was gradually replaced by Santana, Crown, King Duke, etc.
After 1992, with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Russian automobile industry became bleak. In the 1990s, Volga also launched several models one after another, but their life cycles were not long, including The GAZ 31029 launched in 1992, the GAZ 3110 launched in 1994 and the GAZ 3110 launched in 1996 were replaced. By 2000, Volga's annual output was only 56,000 vehicles.
?After the GAZ 24 was discontinued in 1992, the GAZ 31029 was officially launched. The design of this model borrowed from the GAZ 24 and GAZ 3102 models. It can be regarded as a comprehensive product of this model, and The body design of this model is more aerodynamic, while the rear basically maintains the design of the GAZ 24. In terms of power, the GAZ 31029 is the same as the GAZ 3102, but the 5.53L V8 model is no longer available.
GAZ 31029 was officially discontinued in 1997.
GAZ-3110 (GAZ-3110) is also another modernized version of GAZ 24. It was put into production in 1997. The new car has a completely new design in appearance, which feels more modern, and the body paint is improved. Acrylic paint was also used, which greatly reduced the rust problem on the previous Volga model's body.
It is also worth mentioning that the GAZ 3110 also introduced two 2.1L turbocharged diesel engines, ZMZ-560 and ZMZ-561, among which the maximum power of the ZMZ-560 engine is 70 kilowatt (95 horsepower), the maximum power of the ZMZ-561 engine is 80 kilowatts (109 horsepower).
Production of this model ceased in 2003.
The station wagon version of the 3110, the GAZ 310221, was discontinued in 2005.
The sedan version had a revised headlight style in 2003 before production was discontinued, while the station wagon version still maintained the 1997 headlight style.
In addition to the models derived from the GAZ 24, Gorky Automobile Plant also launched two other new models in the 1990s, including the GAZ 3105, which was trial-produced between 1994 and 1997. It used four-wheel drive and an OHC V8 engine, but production was discontinued after only a few hundred units were produced.
Following the 3105, its successor, the rear-wheel drive GAZ 3111, was produced from 1998 to 2003.
Aims to enter the Western car consumer market outside Russia.
Due to the high production cost, its starting price of US$8,800 made it uncompetitive in the market, and it was withdrawn from production soon.
In the 21st century, in order to face the situation where joint venture models gradually occupied the Russian luxury car market, GAZ Motors was still making its final efforts and actively launched a more modern Volga car. In 2004, GAZ 31105 was The replacement model of GAZ 3110 was launched. Not only the transmission and suspension were upgraded, but in 2006 the ancient ZMZ-4021 and 4062.10 engines were also replaced by Chrysler's 2.4L DOHC engine, with a maximum power of 123 horsepower.
?At the end of 2005, the main owner of Russia's Gorky Automobile Factory, Deripaska (Russia's largest aluminum products giant), announced that the Gorky Automobile Factory would gradually stop producing "Volga" brand cars until 2007. .
In response to the requirements of the majority of owners of the "Volga" brand car in Russia, after the suspension of production, the Gorky Automobile Plant will continue to produce parts for the car for a period of 10 to 15 years.
In fact, as early as 2000, after Deripaska acquired the Gorky Automobile Plant, the plant's small car production line began to take frequent holidays.
At that time, the market could no longer absorb the entire production capacity of the "Volga" brand sedan.
?However, in 2006, the GAZ depot reversed its previous decision and announced that it would further invest in the production of Volga cars and continue to produce the GAZ 3102 launched in 1982 and the GAZ 310221 launched in 1997. and the GAZ 31105 launched in 2004. At the same time, it also reached an agreement with Chrysler to introduce the production equipment and intellectual property rights of the Dodge Stratus and Braun, put them into production in Russia, and allow the development of new cars based on this.
In 2008, Gorky Company invested US$200 million to prepare for the launch of a new car Volga Siber. It planned to produce 100,000 vehicles per year, with a maximum production capacity of 160,000 vehicles. The company originally planned to launch 45,000 vehicles per year within 5-6 years. However, a financial crisis completely disrupted Gorky Depot's plans.
? Siber was launched in September 2008. The design of the new car is similar to the Chrysler Sebring because the technical support of the car comes from Chrysler.
Chrysler's 2.0L and 2.4L engines are also used in terms of power, with powers of 141 horsepower and 143 horsepower respectively, and torques of 188 Nm and 210 Nm respectively. The engines are matched with 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmission.
? After the launch of the new car, a total of 1,000 cars were sent to dealers from September to November, of which 35% were ordered by state agencies, banks, and customs. Sales were very dismal, almost reduced to a loss during the financial crisis. However, in December, Volga Siber launched a substantial discount, from the original price of about US$20,000 to about US$16,000, which resulted in a certain increase in sales.
As for the old Volga, the three Volga models on sale produced 19,956 models in the first 11 months of 2008, accounting for the vast majority of Volga car sales that year.
By the first quarter of 2010, the sales of Volga Siber cars were only about 200 units. However, due to insufficient supporting products some time ago, the Volga Siber production line had to be stopped.
In addition, the total output of Volga brand cars in the first half of 2010 was only about 2,500 units.
At the same time, in 2008, Renault purchased shares of Volga 25 for US$1 billion. In 2011, the Renault-Nissan Alliance once again negotiated with Gorky Automobile Factory, and Renault hoped to acquire shares of Volga 10. , and Nissan will also decide in the near future whether to purchase shares of Volga 25 at the same price.
In addition, in July 2011, Gorky Automobile Company also stated that starting from 2012, Gorky Automobile Plant will mainly start to assemble and produce joint-venture brand cars, and Volga brand cars will also be discontinued by then. However, this does not mean that With the disappearance of the domestic "Volga" brand.
Volga is the pride of Russian automobiles. In its more than 50 years of history, it has witnessed the changes from the former Soviet Union to Russia.
In the former Soviet Union, the Volga had the status of a national car.
Although Volga briefly bid farewell to the car scene in 2005, the Russians could not bear to see Volga as a national brand disappear, so we heard the news of Volga Automobile’s cooperation with Renault-Nissan.
As our parents’ generation who are deeply influenced by the culture of the former Soviet Union and those of us who still have some vague impressions, we also hope that Volga will not only remain in our memory, but also hope that he can return to the country in the near future. Go to the big stage of the world's auto industry and find your own glory.