Lada says it's a new car. But the brand, which Renault relinquished control of in 2022, has based Iskra on old Franco-Romanian technology.
Lada claims that the sedan Iskra is brand new. But it's logn.
The car is instead based on old technology that Renault/Dacia already used when the factory was under French control.
However, this does not change the fact that Lada has not received technical help, input or advice from Renault during the 'development' of Iskra. But the kinship with the previous owners cannot be denied by the Russian brand.
In fact, Lada Iskra most of all looks like what it is. Namely a Dacia Logan. However, the Russians claim to have poured more than 400 'locally produced' parts into the 'new car'.
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Although Lada will probably never admit it under the new Russian ownership, it is clear that the Iskra is based on the CMF-B platform, which the brand has already built cars on. That is because Renault, Nissan and Dacia did exactly the same first.
Lada's new management also claims that they have been able to develop 'the new' car for 258 million dollars. This corresponds to DKK 1.7 billion. It is a lot of money. But apparently not enough money.
Because Lada has had no choice but to continue with Renault's well-known 1.6-liter petrol engine that produces 90 horsepower. It's all mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.
Later, a version with 105 horsepower from the same 1.6-liter engine will be on the market. It will, say the Russians, have front-wheel drive, six manual gears or an automatic transmission.
Production is planned to begin in 2025 at Lada's Togliatti plant, which opened way back in 1966. However, the Russians do not want to disclose the price yet.
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