Whispers at Chinese look of reborn Russian car
THE long-awaited revival of Russia’s Moskvitch car brand has raised eyebrows over its remarkable similarity to an existing Chinese design.
After a two-decade hiatus, Russia yesterday re-launched the brand at a factory near Moscow given up by the French carmaker Renault. The company’s rebirth was intended to signify the country’s resilience to Western sanctions that have crippled its automotive industry.
Older Moskvitch models, like the M-407, were some of the first Soviet cars to be successful in the West.
But the new Moskvitch 3 appears to be identical to the Sehol X4, a compact crossover made by China’s JAC.
Maxim Klyushkin, the plant’s project manager, declined to say whether the Chinese firm was involved in the creation of the car. However, Reuters reported that JAC’S design and engineering were being used, with parts being delivered from China.
“We have [Russian truck maker] Kamaz as an external partner and we have a long-distance partner we are working with,” Mr Klyushkin said. “We are not naming that partner.”
The first new Moskvitch cars will roll off the assembly line next month, Kamaz said.
With just 600 vehicles slated for production this year, the new vehicle is unlikely to alter the gloomy outlook for Russia’s automotive industry, whose annual sales could end the year below one million.