The all-wheel drive VAZ-2121 became the first proprietary development of the Volzhsky Automobile Plant engineers to go into serial production. This model, combining the comfort of an ordinary car and high cross-country ability, became a bestseller and is still produced to this day. In 2027, she will celebrate her 50th anniversary on the assembly line.
Initially, Niva was produced mainly for export, including to capitalist countries. Due to obsolescence, the model gradually lost its position in foreign markets, but is still in limited demand in the countries of the former USSR.
Over all the years of production, the model was restyled only once, which, moreover, did not affect the front part. At the same time, cosmetic changes are regularly made to the car without changing its appearance, as well as design changes required by law or the market.
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The first series of prototypes on which the SUV platform was tested. A simplified, utilitarian body was specially developed for these cars, nicknamed “crocodile,” and there was debate at the car plant about what the future production Niva would look like.
At first, designer Valery Syomushkin tried to develop the ideas contained in the E2121 series, but in the end he considered this direction a dead end.
In the first half of 1972, Valery Syomushkin developed a new closed body for the Niva, similar to the future production car. Prototypes of the second series were built with it. These cars looked similar to the final version, but differed from it in almost every way.