The Lada Niva is a bit of a legend. It has been around for a while now. The original Niva has seen 37 years in production, while the current generation Chevrolet Niva has been around for as many as 12 years. Yes, there’ll be an all-new Niva soon, courtesy GM-AutoVAZ, the joint venture between AvtoVAZ (the parent company of the Lada brand) and General Motors.
The Russia bound compact SUV was revealed ahead of it its debut at the upcoming Moscow Auto Show, and is slated for a August 27 release. The show car, however has been beefed up with a lift kit, 235/70 R16 mud-plugging tires, a winch, spot-lights, a snorkel, roof racks and matte black paintwork. Designed by ex-Holden designer Ondrej Koromhaz in China, the show car was built in Melbourne at Holden’s facility, one of only two global GM studios that make show cars. Rumors suggest that it’ll benefit from a PSA-sourced 100kW/170Nm 1.8-liter petrol engine shared with the Citroen C4 L in China.
What’s of more relevance is that GM is exploring opportunities to sell the new Niva in other developing markets, which brings us to the question:
Is it India bound soon?
Well, it’s too early to speculate. Moreover, the Niva stands at a not so sub-4meter-happy length of 4316mm- it can’t match the Ecosport’s competitive pricing. GM India’s compact SUV plans will be mostly rest on the pretty Adra concept that was previewed at this year’s Auto Expo. Based on General Motors’ global small-vehicle platform- Gamma 2, the Adra, designed and built at GM’s Technical Centre-India in Bangalore seems like a better bet at the moment.
