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Automobile model numbering system in USSR and Russia

 

 
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Automobile model numbering system in USSR and Russia
 
 
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A standardized automobile model numbering system has been used in the USSR and Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
. Using the modern version of the system it is possible to determine a vehicle's type and engine capacity. The modern version of the numbering system was introduced in the mid-1970s. A similar system is used in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
.

Old numbering system
The old numbering system was used from 1945 until the new system replaced it later (one model numbered by old system, LAZ-695N bus, is still produced ).

According to the old system, the vehicle model consisted of the manufacturer's name and up to three digits.






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A standardized automobile model numbering system has been used in the USSR and Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
. Using the modern version of the system it is possible to determine a vehicle's type and engine capacity. The modern version of the numbering system was introduced in the mid-1970s. A similar system is used in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
.

Old numbering system


The old numbering system was used from 1945 until the new system replaced it later (one model numbered by old system, LAZ-695N bus, is still produced ).

According to the old system, the vehicle model consisted of the manufacturer's name and up to three digits. Each manufacturer received a range of numbers it used to pick model numbers. The ranges were assigned as follows:

Range Factory Sample Models
1 - 99 GAZ
GAZ

GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod , translated as Gorky Automobile Plant , started in 1929 as NNAZ, a cooperation between Ford Motor Company and the Soviet Union....
 		 GAZ-14
100 - 199 ZIL
Zavod Imeni Likhacheva

Zavod imeni Likhacheva More commonly called ZIL is a major Russian truck and heavy equipment manufacturer, which also produced armored cars for most Soviet Union leaders, as well as buses, armored fighting vehicles, and aerosans....
 		 ZIL-130
200 - 299 YaAZ, KrAZ
KrAZ

KrAZ produces trucks in Kremenchuk, Ukraine; particularly some heavy-duty off-road types....
 		 KrAZ-258
300 - 399 UralAZ UralAZ-375
400 - 450 MZMA
AZLK

AZLK is a Russian automobile factory , the maker of the Moskvitch brand.Founded in 1930 as KIM, or Communist Youth International, the plant became MZMA in 1939, before finally changing its name to the more familiar Avtomobilny Zavod imeni Leninskogo Komsomola - literally "Lenin Communist Youth League Automobile Factory" in 1956....
 (AZLK
AZLK

AZLK is a Russian automobile factory , the maker of the Moskvitch brand.Founded in 1930 as KIM, or Communist Youth International, the plant became MZMA in 1939, before finally changing its name to the more familiar Avtomobilny Zavod imeni Leninskogo Komsomola - literally "Lenin Communist Youth League Automobile Factory" in 1956....
) 		MZMA-412
450 - 499 UAZ
UAZ

UAZ , Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod is an automobile manufacturer based in Ulyanovsk, Russia which makes Sport utility vehicles, buses and trucks....
 		 UAZ-452, UAZ-469
500 - 599 MAZ, BelAZ
BelAZ

BelAZ is a Economy of Belarus manufacturer of haulage and earthmoving equipment based in Zhodino. Founded in 1948, the factory has been a flagship of Belorussian industry for decades....
 		 MAZ-500, BelAZ-640m
600 - 649 KAZ  
650 - 699 bus
Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus can generally seat a maximum of anywhere from 8 to 200 passengers; many more passengers than a minivan....
es - PAZ, LiAZ
LiAZ (Russia)

LiAZ - is a Russian bus manufacturing factory located in Likino, Russia....
, LAZ
Laz

Laz, or LAZ, may refer to:*Wolfgang Wolfgang Lazius or Laz* Laz people* Laz language* L?vivs?ky Avtomobil?ny Zavod Several locations:...
 		 
700 - 999 ZAZ
ZAZ

ZAZ or Zaporizhia Automobile Building Plant is the main automobile-manufacturer of Ukraine, based in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhya....
, RAF
Rigas Autobusu Fabrika

The Riga Autobus Factory was a factory in Jelgava, Latvia, making vans under the brand name Latvija.During the Soviet Union period, RAF and UAZ were the only producers of the vans in Soviet Union....
, trailers
Trailer (vehicle)

A Trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle Towing by a powered vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used for transport of goods and materials....
 		 


Modern numbering system


The modern numbering system, documented as ?????????? ??????? ?? 025270-66, was first introduced in 1966 and is still used in Russia, although not strictly adhered to by the manufacturers.

According to this system the full model designation by the manufacturer's name (e.g. VAZ) and a model number (e.g. 2108). The first digit of the model number indicates the vehicle class. For passenger cars the engine capacity is used to determine the class:

First digit Engine Capacity
1 up to 1200 cc
Cubic centimetre

A cubic centimetre or cubic centimeter is a commonly used unit of volume extending the derived International System of Units-unit cubic metre and corresponds to the volume of a cube measuring 1?1?1 cm....
2 1200 cc - 1800 cc
3 1800 cc - 3200 cc
4 more than 3500 cc


For trucks weight is used:

First digitWeight
1up to 1200 kg
21200 kg - 2000 kg
32000 kg - 8000 kg
48000 kg - 14000 kg
514000 kg - 20000 kg
620000 kg - 40000 kg
7more than 40000 kg


For buses length is used:

First digitLength
2Up to 5 m
36 - 7.5 m
48 - 9.5 m
510.5 - 12 m
6more than 16 m


Second digit indicates the type of vehicle:

Second digitType of vehicle
1passenger car
2bus
Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus can generally seat a maximum of anywhere from 8 to 200 passengers; many more passengers than a minivan....
3truck
Truck

File:Red truck USA.JPGA truck is a type of motor vehicle commonly used for carrying goods and materials. Some light trucks are relatively small, similar in size to a passenger automobile....
4semi-trailer truck
Semi-trailer truck

A semi-trailer truck, also known as tractor-trailer or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle truck or lorry consisting of a tractor unit , and a semi-trailer that carries the freight....
5dump truck
Dump truck

A dump truck or production truck is a truck used for transporting loose material for construction. A typical dump truck is equipped with a Hydraulic machinery operated open-box bed hinged at the rear, the front of which can be lifted up to allow the contents to be deposited on the ground behind the truck at the site of delivery....
6tank truck
Tank truck

A tank truck or tanker lorry is a motor vehicle designed to carry Liquids, bulk cargo cargo or gases on roads. The largest such vehicles are similar to railroad tank cars which are also designed to carry liquefied loads....
7van
Van

A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. It is usually a box-shaped vehicle on four wheels, about the same width and length as a large automobile, but taller and usually higher off the ground, also referred to as a light commercial vehicle or LCV....
8reserved
9special vehicle


The third and forth digits are used to assign a factory model number. The fifth digit is optional, and is used to specify different versions or modifications of the same model. The sixth digit is used to specify export variants.

Example


VAZ-21063: A vehicle produced by VAZ
Vaz

VAZ is a Russia automobile manufacturer, Volzhsky Automobilny Zavod - AutoVAZ.Vaz also may refer to:...
, with an engine capacity between 1200 cc and 1800 cc (2), which is a passenger vehicle (1), with factory model code 06 (06) and modification 3 (3).

Future of the system

Future of the standard is unclear. Some manufacturers keep following it and other do not. For instance, AutoVAZ didn't adhere to the standard with its newer Lada Kalina
Lada Kalina

The Lada Kalina is a low cost supermini car sold under the Lada marque and produced by the Russian automaker AvtoVAZ. Its mass production began in November 2004, but it became available for purchase almost a year later....
 models by dropping required first digit "2" and numbering them as 1117, 1118 and 1119 despite having a 1.6 L engine.

See also

  • Automobile industry of the Soviet Union
    Automobile industry of the Soviet Union

    The automobile industry in the Soviet Union is unique amongst automobile industry in the world. Until the October Revolution, very few Russians could afford cars - the few cars that were around were imported into Russia from other countries, and even then the Czar and his family owned most of them....


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