Development of the car began in the second half of 1974, shortly after Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers Vladimir Novikov criticized the previous “Start” from Izhevsk – the front-wheel drive model Izh-13. Since the transition to a different layout really required huge investments, the Izh-19 concept was radically revised – now it was a car with a classic rear-wheel drive on the units of the Moskvich-412, already mastered in Izhevsk, but with a new, modern hatchback body.
The Izh-19 received a sporty, even somewhat aggressive exterior design, a roof with a hatch and no gutters. It was not possible to implement a planned fifth door extending to the bumper and headlights with an integral lens, but even without this the car looked modern and bright for 1975. The only prototype of the Izh-19 “Start” was even temporarily equipped with an imported automatic transmission.
This car did not go into production, but attracted the attention of officials. In 1975, the car plant in Izhevsk received a state order to modernize the Moskvich-412, and very soon the document was adjusted – it directly stated that the new car should have a hatchback body and an engine with a volume of 1600 cm³ (Moskvich-412's engine had a volume of 1480 cm³) . As a result, in 1976, the next experimental model was created – Izh-19-01.
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The Izh-19 was originally conceived with a sportier design than its predecessor, the front-wheel drive Izh-13.