UAZ (УАЗ),
Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (Ульяновский Автомобильный Завод) is an
automobileAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufacturer based in
UlyanovskUlyanovsk Ulyanovsk Ulyanovsk , is a city on the Volga River in Russia, 893 km east from Moscow. It is the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, and is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin, for whom it is named. Population: -History:...
,
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...
which makes
SUVA sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. Usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle, some SUVs include the towing...
s,
busA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus seats a maximum of 8 to 300 passengers...
es and
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. Production started in 1941.
Creation
In 1941, after the start of Great Patriotic War, Stalin's government made every effort possible to try to save Soviet industry from being captured by the
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
army. So, in 1941, because of rapid advances by the Germans on
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
, a decision was made to relocate
ZISZavod imeni Likhacheva More commonly called ZIL is a major Russian truck and heavy equipment manufacturer, which also produced armored cars for most Soviet leaders, as well as buses, armored fighting vehicles, and aerosans...
- a Moscow car and freighter manufacturing plant - further away from the front line. Such a place was
UlyanovskUlyanovsk Ulyanovsk Ulyanovsk , is a city on the Volga River in Russia, 893 km east from Moscow. It is the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, and is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin, for whom it is named. Population: -History:...
, a town in Volga region with existing infrastructure and skilled workers, but out of reach of German army. At that time, the plant was considered a subsidiary of
ZISZavod imeni Likhacheva More commonly called ZIL is a major Russian truck and heavy equipment manufacturer, which also produced armored cars for most Soviet leaders, as well as buses, armored fighting vehicles, and aerosans...
. By 1942, the production of artillery shells and cars began.
In 1943, when the prospect of Germans winning the war was less likely, a decision was made to separate the relocated plant from
ZISZavod imeni Likhacheva More commonly called ZIL is a major Russian truck and heavy equipment manufacturer, which also produced armored cars for most Soviet leaders, as well as buses, armored fighting vehicles, and aerosans...
. This was a part of general after-war policy conducted by Stalin's government in which relocated plants were separated into different units, since all the required buildings had already been erected. The existing plants before relocation were filled with (often - German) equipment, thus bursting the industry.
A logical choice for the newly created plant was to produce military and paramilitary cars, mostly due to its distance from the border. Therefore, in mid-1950es the production of the only Soviet offroad car,
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....
, was moved to Ulyanovsk. This car marked a beginning of a famous line of offroad vehicles manufactured by the plant.
Golden age
By mid-60es, the new management of the plant completed development of first original [U]AZ cars. The GAZ-69 offroad vehicle was replaced by
UAZ-469The UAZ-469 is an all-terrain vehicle manufactured by UAZ. It was used by the Red Army and other Warsaw Pact forces, as well as paramilitary units in Eastern Bloc countries. In the Soviet Union, it also saw widespread service in all state organizations that needed a robust off-road vehicle.The...
. UAZ-469 was very similar in design to the original
JeepJeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler. It is the oldest off-road vehicle brand, with Land Rover coming in second. The original vehicle which first appeared as the prototype Bantam BRC became the primary light 4-wheel-drive vehicle of the US Army and allies during the World War II and postwar...
- a sturdy, but not-so-comfortable car that was able to drive in virtually any terrain and was easy to fix. The Uaz-469 reached legendary status for its reliability and off-road ability. The car didn't enter the personal use market until late 80s and was reserved for
police forcesMilitsiya or Militia was used as a short official name of the civilian police in several former communist states, despite its original military connotation ....
and paramilitary (its commercially-available analog was produced by
LuAZLuAZ is a Ukrainian automobile manufacturer located in the city of Lutsk.-History:...
, which was too close to border to be associated with the military).
In 1966, UAZ rolled out its pickup-truck/minibus
UAZ-452UAZ-452 / UAZ-3741 is a minivan produced at the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant.Serial production of the UAZ-452 started in 1965. The engine is from the GAZ-21....
, which received a warm welcome by the farmers due to its convenience and offroad capability. Although this automobile was mostly reserved for police and army use, it has seen much more civilian use than most other UAZ cars.
The UAZ-469 and its modifications has gained legendary status all over the world for its off-road ability, reliability and simplicity. Due to the vehicles reliability and capabilities it is to this day loved and used by off-road enthusiasts all over the world and is a welcome alternative to the US Jeep, British Land Rover and Japanese Land Cruisers due to its lower costs and similar characteristics.
Crisis
After the collapse of Soviet Union, UAZ has started feeling the heat. On one hand, people were willing to buy its cars due to its high reputation; on the other hand, most preferred used imported offroad cars due to the lack of reliability of UAZ cars made in the 90s. UAZ produced a slightly modified version of its original UAZ-469 car,
UAZ Hunter, but the sales were still lacking.
NOTE: After the collapse of the Soviet Union, UAZ experienced many financial problems which resulted in poor quality control and cost cutting which resulted in the production of low quality UAZ automobiles compared to those made in Soviet times.
In 2004, the plant was bought out by the
Severstal financial group, which made many investments in the firm and had also bought the
ZMA car plantSollers JSC formerly known as OAO Severstal-Auto is a Russian company holding controlling blocks of shares of OAO Ulyanovsk Automobile Works , OAO Zavolzhye Motor Works and OAO ZMA...
in
Naberezhnye ChelnyNaberezhnye Chelny is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. It is the administrative center of Tukayevsky District of Tatarstan.A major industrial center, Naberezhnye Chelny stands on the Kama River some 225 km east of Kazan...
.
In 2005, a new SUV-like car,
UAZ PatriotUAZ Patriot is a mid-size SUV from the UAZ division of SeverstalAvto. It was introduced in 2005. Extensive use of third-party parts , large capacity, good off road capabilities and affordable price predicted good sales in Russia...
, was unveiled. Extensive use of third-party parts (which finally allowed UAZ to replace its notorious transmission with a better, Korean-manufactured one), large capacity, good offroad capabilities and affordable price (<15,000 USD) predict good sales in Russia.
UAZ unveils a new 4 door pickup truck.
Reliability
The UAZ-469 (and its modifications) has earned a reputation as a very reliable and capable 4x4. It has gained huge popularity among off-road enthusiasts within Russia, former Soviet republics as well as Europe, Asia, South America and Africa, and is preferred by many over other legendary 4x4’s such as Land Rover, Jeep and Toyota.
One of the main reasons the 469 has enjoyed such popularity is its deliberately simple design, which allows for easy maintenance and repairs. Its simplicity is a deliberate design feature for 2 main reasons: the requirements of the Soviet Armed Forces, as well as the little known fact that most people in the Soviet Union / Russia prefer to fix their cars themselves as opposed to taking them to an authorized mechanic.
Furthermore: the UAZ's simplicity, easy maintenance and extremely inexpensive spare parts allow the car to last much longer than more expensive and complicated western 4x4s. Even the most complicated and costly repairs can be done by the owners themselves, and rarely cost more than a few hundred dollars.
Reliability Issues: although the UAZ has proven to be a reliable 4x4, there have been a few problems with the car’s reliability that have slightly hurt its reputation.
The transmission of the original 469 has been known to have problems when not maintained properly (as the owners manual dictates). Another major problem within Russia has been the production of counterfeit parts made out of cheap metals.Furthermore, the 90’s (after the fall of the Soviet Union) saw a significant decline of quality in the assembly of UAZ vehicles as the company struggled to survive and could not afford to pay the salaries of its employees.
Other problems have been encountered with the modernization of the vehicle, as many of the new electrical and cosmetic parts have been of poor quality. To combat these problems, and return the reliability and dependability of UAZ vehicles to their former standards the UAZ Company has recently introduced a new Quality Control system which has reduced the number of UAZ vehicles with defects arriving in showrooms around the world.
Trivia
- The Russian nickname for the UAZ-469 is "Козёл", which means "goat".
- The Russian nickname for the UAZ-452 is "Буханка", which means "loaf" (of bread).
- There is a saying that "A UAZ will break down where no other car can go". Referring to the reliability of UAZ cars.
External links