GAZ (RTS:GAZA) or
Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
,
Nizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened as Nizhny, is the fourth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novosibirsk...
), translated as Gorky Automobile Plant , started in 1929 as NNAZ, a cooperation between
FordThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
and the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
.
History
In May 1929 the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
signed an agreement with the
Ford Motor CompanyThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
. Under its terms, the Soviets agreed to purchase $13 million worth of automobiles and parts, while Ford agreed to give technical assistance until 1938 to construct an integrated automobile-manufacturing plant at
Nizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened as Nizhny, is the fourth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novosibirsk...
. Production started on January 1, 1932, and the factory and marque was titled
Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, or GAZ, but also displayed the "Ford" sign. GAZ's first vehicle was the medium-priced Ford Model A, sold as the
GAZ- A, and a light truck, the
Ford Model AAFord Model AA is a truck from Ford. As the Model T and TT became obsolete and needed to be replaced, Henry Ford began initial designs on the Model A and Model AA in 1926. Basic chassis layout was done rapidly and mechanical development was moved forward quickly. Body design and style was...
(
GAZ-AA). GAZ-A production commenced in 1932 and lasted until 1936, during which time over 100,000 examples were built.
Many American engineers and skilled auto workers moved to the Soviet Union to work at GAZ. Hundreds of American workers stayed on after the plant's completion in 1932, often with their families. They had to deliver their American passports, and within a few years became victims of Stalin's
Great TerrorGreat Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin in 1937–1938. It involved a large-scale purge of the Communist Party and Government officials, repression of peasants, Red Army leadership, and the persecution of...
, either shot or exiled to Soviet
gulagThe Gulag or GULAG was the government agency that administered the penal labor camps of the Soviet Union. The term is infamous for its association with remote places where prisoners were kept and sometimes disappeared...
s. Attempts of these Americans to their embassy to help them were rebuffed or ignored. A notable survivor of these expatriats was Viktor Herman.
The factory's name changed when the city was renamed after
Maxim GorkyAleksey Maksimovich Peshkov , better known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian/Soviet author, a founder of the socialist realism literary method and a political activist...
. From 1935 to 1956, the official name was augmented with
imeni Molotova (literally,
named after MolotovVyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was a Soviet politician and diplomat, a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s, when he rose to power as a protégé of Joseph Stalin, to 1957, when he was dismissed from Presidium of the Central Committee by Nikita Khrushchev...
).
The GAZ-A was succeeded by the more modern GAZ M1 (based largely on the
Ford Model BThe Model B was a new Ford automobile produced in model year 1932. It was a much updated version of the Model A and was replaced by the 1935 Ford Model 48. Strictly speaking the Model B was a four-cylinder car with an "Improved Four-Cylinder Engine", but it was at this time that Ford began...
), produced from 1936 to 1942. The M letter stands for
Molotovets ('of Molotov's fame'), it was the origin of the car's nickname,
M'ka (Эмка).
Experience with the A and the M1 allowed the GAZ engineers to develop their own car model independently of Ford. Called the GAZ 11, this more upscale model entered production in 1942 and remained in limited wartime production until 1946. The M2's bodyshell entered limited production in 1941, mounted on a
four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
chassis and sold in small quantities as the
GAZ-61GAZ-61 was a four wheel drive car from USSR manufacturer GAZ first introduced in 1938 GAZ-61 to replace V.A Grachev's too-complex model GAS-M21, but production didn't really start until 1940. It was made by putting the GAZ M2 body on a four-wheel-drive chassis. Designed by V. A. Gratchev...
(quite possibly the world's first all-wheel drive passenger car).
During the war years, GAZ engineers worked to develop an all-new car model to enter production once hostilities ended. Called the
GAZ-M20 PobedaThe GAZ-M20 "Pobeda" is a passenger car produced in the Soviet Union by GAZ from 1946 until 1958. It was also licensed to Polish Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych....
(Victory), this affordably-priced sedan with streamlined, fastback styling, entered production in 1946 and was produced by GAZ until 1958. (Licensed production under the name Warszawa continued in
PolishPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
FSO until the 1970s). GAZ-72, a
four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
version, was produced in low volume.
During the war GAZ also assembled Chevrolet G7107 and G7117 (G7107 with winch) from parts shipped from the USA according to Lend Lease agreement.
GAZ also made
GAZ-12 ZIMGAZ-12 ZIM is a limousine produced at the GAZ from 1950 till 1959. ZIM abbreviation stands for Zavod Imeni Molotova, which reflects the part of factory's official name at the time...
, GAZ-21 and GAZ-24
VolgaVolga is an automobile brand that originated in the Soviet Union to replace the venerated GAZ-M20 Pobeda in 1956. Modern in design, it became a symbol of higher status in the Soviet nomenklatura...
and the luxury cars GAZ-13 and GAZ-14 Chaika. GAZ also makes
truckA truck or lorry is a motor vehicle - more specifically a commercial vehicle commonly used for transporting goods and materials. Some light trucks/lorries are similar in size to a passenger automobile...
s and
4x4sFour-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
such as the
GAZelleA GAZelle is a series of mid-sized trucks, vans and buses made by Russian car manufacturer GAZ. GAZelles are similar to the later launched GAZ Sobol and GAZ Valdai line of vans and light trucks...
and the famous
GAZ-69GAZ-69 was a four wheel drive light truck, produced by GAZ between 1953 and 1955. From 1954 until 1972 it was produced by UAZ, as UAZ-69, though they were commonly known as GAZ-69s as well....
.
2006 and beyond
As DaimlerChrysler modernized its
Sterling Heights AssemblySterling Heights Assembly is a Chrysler automobile factory in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The factory opened in 1953 to produce missiles. Volkswagen converted it for automobile production in 1980 and it was subsequently purchased by Chrysler in 1983. The nearby Sterling Stamping opened in 1965...
plant in 2006, the old
Dodge StratusThe Dodge Stratus was a mid-size 4-door sedan introduced in 1995. It was based on the Chrysler JA platform Cab forward . The Stratus, Breeze, and Cirrus were all on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1996 and 1997...
assembly line and tooling was sold to GAZ and will be shipped to
Nizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened as Nizhny, is the fourth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novosibirsk...
in
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. GAZ will resume production of the Stratus, and may introduce additional variants in the future, as GAZ has purchased the rights to use the platform in new vehicles., whilst the company originally announced that the
VolgaVolga is an automobile brand that originated in the Soviet Union to replace the venerated GAZ-M20 Pobeda in 1956. Modern in design, it became a symbol of higher status in the Soviet nomenklatura...
will be phased out completely. However, GAZ has recently reversed course. Volga production, initially scheduled to end in 2007, will continue indefinitely and the car will receive a facelift. GAZ will adopt a new marketing tack, attempting to position the 1960s era design as a "retro" vehicle, while the Stratus-based products may also be sold under the Volga brand.
Also in 2006, GAZ made a move on the LDV company based in
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and acquired the van maker from the venture capital group Sun European Partners in July of that year.
GAZ have said that they plan to market the MAXUS (LDV's new Panel-van, that was released in January 2005) into the rest of Europe (it is currently only on sale in Britain and limited areas of Europe) and Asia. GAZ Propose to increase production in the LDV plant in England, while also commencing production of the MAXUS in a new plant in Russia.
In May 2009, GAZ officially announced they were reviewing a project to takeover GM European activities (
OpelAdam Opel GmbH, commonly known as Opel, is a German automaker. The company was founded on 21 January 1863, began making automobiles in 1899, and was acquired by General Motors in 1929...
). The group said they were not planning to contribute any financing of the takeover, but they would provide manufacturing facilities in Russia for the group.
Models
- GAZ-A passenger car (1932-1936) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_A_%281927%29
- GAZ-AA truck (1932-1938) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_AA
- GAZ-03-30 bus (1933-1950)
- GAZ-AAA truck 6x4 (1934-1943)
- GAZ-410 dump truck (1934-1947)
- BA-6
The BA-6 was an armored car developed in the Soviet Union in the early 1930s. The 45 mm gun turret was the same as that used on the T-26 and BT-5 light tanks. It was built on the GAZ-AAA chassis. This 6×4 chassis was a modification of the US Ford AA 4×2 truck. This chassis limited mobility to...
medium armoured car (1936-1938)
- GAZ-M1 passenger car (1936-1942)
- GAZ-М415 pickup truck (1937-1941)
- GAZ-MM truck (1938-1950)
- BA-10
The BA-10 was an armored car developed in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. The BA-10 was developed from the very similar BA-3 and BA-6 heavy armored cars...
middle armoured car (1939-1941)
- GAZ-11-73 (6-I) passenger car (1940-1941, 1945-1948)
- GAZ-61
GAZ-61 was a four wheel drive car from USSR manufacturer GAZ first introduced in 1938 GAZ-61 to replace V.A Grachev's too-complex model GAS-M21, but production didn't really start until 1940. It was made by putting the GAZ M2 body on a four-wheel-drive chassis. Designed by V. A. Gratchev...
4x4 passenger carFour-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
(1941-1945)
- GAZ-64
GAZ-64 was a 4x4 vehicle made by GAZ, succeeding the earlier GAZ-61 which was totally reconstructed in a very short period under the leadership of Vitaliy Grachev and was named GAZ 64. Only 646 GAZ-64 were made between march 1941 and summer 1942. It was succeeded by the more popular GAZ-67 and...
4x4 jeep (1941-1943)
- T-60 light tank (1941-1942)
- T-70
The T-70 light tank was used by the Red Army during World War II, replacing both the T-60 scout tank for reconnaissance and the T-50 light infantry tank for infantry support. The T-80 light tank was a more advanced version of the T-70 with a two-man turret—it was only produced in very small...
light tank (1942-1943)
- BA-64
The BA-64 was a 4×4 light armoured car, employed by the Soviet Army from 1942 into the early 1960s for reconnaissance and liaison tasks.The BA-64B was nicknamed 'Bobik' by its crews. The total recorded number of BA-64s produced differs even in Russian sources...
light armoured car (1942-1943)
- GAZ-67
The GAZ-67 and the subsequent GAZ-67B were general purpose four wheel drive Soviet military vehicles built by GAZ starting in 1943.The GAZ-67 was a further development of the earlier GAZ-64. A main improvement was a wider track of 1446 mm. It also had a strengthened chassis frame, enlarged fuel...
4x4 jeep (1943-1944)
- BA-64B light armoured car (1943-1946)
- GAZ-67B - 4x4 jeep (1944-1953)
- GAZ-51
The GAZ-51 is the best known, most popular, and longest produced Soviet truck. Its first prototypes were produced before the end of World War II, and mass production started in 1946.
...
- truck (1946-1975)
- GAZ-M20
The GAZ-M20 "Pobeda" is a passenger car produced in the Soviet Union by GAZ from 1946 until 1958. It was also licensed to Polish Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych....
- PobedaThe GAZ-M20 "Pobeda" is a passenger car produced in the Soviet Union by GAZ from 1946 until 1958. It was also licensed to Polish Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych....
passenger car (1946-1948, 1949-1955)
- GAZ-63
The GAZ-63 is a Russian 4x4 2 ton truck produced from 1948 to 1968 at the Gorky Automobile Plant. It was a development of the earlier GAZ-51 truck and is very similar in appearance....
- 4x4 truck (1947-1968)
- GAZ-40 - BTR-40
The BTR-40 is a Soviet non-amphibious, wheeled armoured personnel carrier and reconnaissance vehicle. It is often referred to as the Sorokovka in Soviet service. It is also the first mass-produced Soviet APC...
armoured personnel carrierAn armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
(1950-1960)
- GAZ-12 ZIM
GAZ-12 ZIM is a limousine produced at the GAZ from 1950 till 1959. ZIM abbreviation stands for Zavod Imeni Molotova, which reflects the part of factory's official name at the time...
- big sedan (1950-1960)
- GAZ 46 MAV
The GAZ 46 MAV is a Russian-made light four-wheel drive amphibious military vehicle, that entered service in the 1950s and has been used by many Eastern Bloc allied forces since....
- light 4x4 amphibian (1952-??)
- GAZ-69
GAZ-69 was a four wheel drive light truck, produced by GAZ between 1953 and 1955. From 1954 until 1972 it was produced by UAZ, as UAZ-69, though they were commonly known as GAZ-69s as well....
- 4x4 jeep (1952-1972)
- GAZ-69A - 4x4 jeep (1953-1972)
- GAZ-M20V - Pobeda passenger car (1955-1958) http://gaz20.spb.ru
- GAZ-М72 - Pobeda 4x4 passenger car (1955-1958) http://gaz20.spb.ru/modif_m72.htm
- GAZ-21 - Volga
Volga is an automobile brand that originated in the Soviet Union to replace the venerated GAZ-M20 Pobeda in 1956. Modern in design, it became a symbol of higher status in the Soviet nomenklatura...
sedan (1956-1970)
- GAZ-62 - 4x4 military truck (1958-1962)
- GAZ-13 - Chaika limousine (1959-1981)
- GAZ-49 - BTR-60
The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers. It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for BTR-152 and was seen first time in public in 1961...
armored personnel carrier (1960-1976)
- GAZ-52 - truck (1961-1997)
- GAZ-53
GAZ-53 is a 3.5 ton 4x2 truck from GAZ, introduced first as GAZ-53F in 1961. Powered by old 6-cylinder engine from the GAZ-51 it was joined in 1962 by the virtually identical 2.5 ton GAZ-52, produced until 1997. In 1964 there appeared main variant , manufactured until 1993...
- truck (1961-1993)
- GAZ-22 - Volga station wagon (1962-1970)
- GAZ-23 - Volga V8 KGB sedan (1962-1971)
- GAZ-66
The GAZ-66 is a Russian 4x4 all-road military truck produced by GAZ. It was the main transport vehicle for motorized infantry of the Soviet Army and is still employed in former Soviet Union countries...
- 4x4 military truck (1964-1999)
- GAZ-24 - Volga sedan (1968-1985)
- GAZ-24-24 - Volga V8 KGB sedan (1971-1986)
- GAZ-24-02 - Volga station wagon (1972-1986)
- GAZ-4905 - BTR-70
The BTR-70 is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier , originally developed during the late 1960s under the industrial designator GAZ-4905. In August 21, 1972, it was accepted into service and would later be exported to the Warsaw Pact and other allies...
armored personnel carrier (1976-86)
- GAZ-14 - Chaika limousine (1977-1988)
- GAZ-3102 - Volga luxury sedan (from 1982)
- GAZ-3101 - Volga V8 KGB luxury sedan (1984-1991)
- GAZ-24-10 - Volga sedan (1984-1993)
- GAZ-24-34 - Volga V8 KGB sedan (1986-1991)
- GAZ-5903 - BTR-80
BTR-80 is an 8x8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed in the Soviet Union. Production started in 1986 and replaced the previous versions, BTR-60 and BTR-70 in the Soviet army.-Description:The Soviets based the BTR-80 on the BTR-70 APC...
armored personnel carrier (from 1986)
- GAZ-31029 - Volga sedan (1992-1997)
- GAZ-3302 - GAZelle
A GAZelle is a series of mid-sized trucks, vans and buses made by Russian car manufacturer GAZ. GAZelles are similar to the later launched GAZ Sobol and GAZ Valdai line of vans and light trucks...
light truck (from 1994)
- GAZ-2705 - GAZelle cargo van (from 1995)
- GAZ-3221 - GAZelle passenger van (from 1996)
- GAZ-33023 - GAZelle "Farmer" light truck double cab (from 1996)
- GAZ-33027 - GAZelle 4x4 light truck (from 1996)
- GAZ-3937
GAZ-3937 "Vodnik" is a Russian high-mobility multipurpose amphibious vehicle manufactured by GAZ. It is a modification of civil GAZ-2330 "Tigr" and has a water-displacing hermetic hull which provides improved fording performance. It has a 4x4-type chassis with independent suspension and a...
- Vodnik amphibiousAn amphibious vehicle , is a vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport, viable on land as well as on water – just like an amphibian....
4x4 amphibian (from 1997)
- GAZ-2752 - Sobol cargo van (from 1998)
- GAZ-22171 - Sobol passenger van (from 1998)
- GAZ-2217 - Barguzin passenger van (from 1999)
- GAZ-2310 - Sobol pick-up truck (from 1999)
- GAZ-3110 - Volga sedan (1997-2004)
- GAZ-310221 - Volga station wagon (from 1997)
- GAZ-3111 - Volga luxury sedan (2003-2005)
- GAZ-31105 - Volga sedan (from 2004)
- GAZ-2330 - Tiger heavy army jeep (from 2002)http://www.gaz-motors.com/Tiger.aspx
- GAZ-5923 - Rostok BTR-90
BTR-90 is an 8×8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle developed in Russia, designed in 1993 and first shown publicly in 1994. It is a larger version of the BTR-80 vehicle, fitted with a BMP-2 turret...
armored personnel carrier (from 2004)
- Volga Siber
Volga Siber is a Russian automobile sedan, introduced by the Russian firm "GAZ Group" at the "Интеравто-2007" show in Moscow on August 29 2007. The Volga Siber is built off a licensed platform from the prior-generation Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus...
- mid-class sedan based on Chrysler Sebring platform (from 2008)
Coordinates
Coordinates of GAZ's Nizhniy Novgorod factory:
See also
- Automobile model numbering system in the Soviet Union and Russia
- Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells the world's motor vehicles. In 2008, more than 70 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide....
- History of Ford Motor Company
This article is about the History of the Ford Motor Company. For more general information about the company, see Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on worldwide vehicle sales...
External links