Geely Otaka aka Geely CK

Earlier this month spotted this 2005 Geely Otaka which is a China-made compact car.

Geely Otaka is what it was sold as in Russia. Internationally it is known as the Geely CK.

I've no idea what Otaka means and in which language.

Daewoo-designed and licensed, the 2005 Geely Otaka (Geely CK) has a 1.5 L engine which is a Toyota Motor Corporation design, also licensed. It produces 94 hp (70 kW) at 6000 rpm, according to wikipedia.

The Geely Otaka for the Russian market was manufactured somewhere in Siberia in 2006-08.

Internationally, Geely CK sales were hampered by the very negative press that it got involving poor performance in crash tests. 

However, in Russia, it has since become something of a hit on the used car market as it offers a very low-cost means of transportation and is not unreliable as far as the engine and mechanicals go, and in any case cheap to repair. 

The body however fares less well with rust problems and structural defects reported.

The Geely CK was upgraded to become the Geely CK 2 and is now sold under the Gleagle brand apparently.

I like the headlight units, especially the yellow turn signals. They look like you broke a couple of raw eggs and the yokes and whites are sloshing about in a glass bowl. But I like it.

And an out of focus photo.

Also of note is that, if wikipedia is to be believed, the Geely CK holds the distinction of being the first Chinese automobile ever displayed at an American auto show, although it was only shown to the press and not the general public. Geely had planned to begin selling the model in Puerto Rico in 2007 on the way to beginning sales in Mainland America the next year. However, the plans were halted due to poor crash test results.

Vostok Rocket

The Vostok Rocket at VDNKh in northern Moscow seen on an overcast grey September day earlier this year (2015).

Derived from the Soviet R-7 Semyorka ICBM, Vostok rockets launched both the first artificial satellite ("sputnik") and the first manned spacecraft in human history on the Vostok Spacecraft.

Here it looks as if it's levitating.

Lincoln Town Car 1st Gen

Coming from my other blog, VreMax, and from the DIM -- Detroit Iron in Moscow series which is a series of posts where I do a bit of car spotting and photograph "Detroit iron" in Moscow -- i.e. full-size American automobiles that I see on Moscow streets, lanes and especially in back yards whilst not specifically looking for them.

As part of that series I wrote about this Lincoln Town Car spotted about a year ago in 2014 (now it's October 2015).

This one is first generation and towards the end of it, I think.

Not the first Lincoln Town Car on this series but the first one first gen. 

 

To be fair, I spotted this one not on a street per se, not in traffic, not in a Moscow high-rise back yard (where most of them seem to have congregated so far) but on some kind of historic movie shoot, not far from the Kremlin actually.

Though the Lincoln appears to be out of keeping with the other cars on the shoot which are 1960-70s Volgas, Pobedas etc.

Maybe the movie guys are trying to pass it for a much earlier car but it is from the late 1980s.

However, to the present-day observer unfamiliar with American cars, it may indeed look like something out of the 1960-70s.  

A view through the passenger front window.

LADA 4x4

Смотрите! #LADA4x4 в Португалии. Второй кадр - уже в Испании. А как далеко от России встречали #LADA вы?:) pic.twitter.com/9QnO6HJCFC

— АВТОВАЗ (@avtovaz_news) October 14, 2015

AvotVAZ tweets LADA 4x4s spotted in Portugal and Spain, respectively.

LADA 4x4 was formerly known as the Lada Niva or just the Niva.

Volga GAZ-3105

Photos for this entry come from one of my other blogs, VreMax, where I first wrote about this car exhibition that I visited a year ago - in August of 2014. 

The Volga GAZ-3105 that I saw there.

The Volga-3105 was to be a separate model but never saw the (full) light of day and only achieved a limited production run of 55 units. 

It was meant to replace the last Chaika GAZ-14, I think.

It looks a bit uncouth but it's mainly due to the small wheels I think. 

I am sure that if it had made mass production, it would have been continuously improved and would eventually look good. As it happened with most Russian cars.

Hyundai Russia Makes 1,000,000 Cars

Hyundai Russia (HMMR) has made 1,000,000 cars in Russia since 2011.

1,000,000th Hyundai Solaris...

...on the assembly line...

 ...and at an event later.

That's a result!

This is the 2015-16 Hyundai Solaris, BTW.

Ravon Comes to Moscow

Russia has welcomed a new automotive brand, Ravon, which is the same as the old automotive brand of UZ-Daewoo (aka GM Uzbekistan Chevrolet). 

Uzbekistan's UZ-Daewoo (currently, GM Uzbekistan) known for its Nexia, Matiz, Gentra models and also building Chevrolet models such as Spark, Aveo, Cobalt and even Malibu (and earlier Lacetti) is to sell cars in Russia from Oct 8, 2015 on under a new brand called Ravon.

Apparently, Ravon is an abbreviation of Reliable Active Vehicle On Road. At the same time, Ravon means "direct road" (no idea in which language). And I wonder how you say it... RAVE ON?!

Cars produced by GM Uzbekistan are sold under the Chevrolet brand at home in Uzbekistan and were exported to Russia and other states under UZ-Daewoo which will now be replaced by Ravon.

GM Uzbekistan is going to offer in Russia the Ravon Nexia R3 (Chevrolet Aveo), the Ravon R2 (the Chevrolet Spark), the Ravon R4 (Chevrolet Cobalt). 

It will also sell the Ravon Matiz and the Ravon Gentra. 

Reportedly, the Ravon Matiz has been restyled. It now has a new interior, ABS, airbags, immobilizer, new bumpers and a new radiator grille. 

The Ravon R2 will receive a new more aggressive radiator grille. The Ravon Gentra was also modernized. Images of new cars are available here as seen at the Ravon brand presentation in a RIA Novosti photoshoot.

GM Uzbekistan also launched an official website of its new brand... which is however empty as of this writing. 

Ravon Matiz at the presentation

In the meantime, the Daewoo Matiz continues to sell as... the Daewoo Matiz in Russia... at least the dedicated website is still up.

ETA:

Found some press photos of the Ravon line-up.

Ravon Gentra (formerly Chevrolet Lacetti)

Toyota Crown at 60

Last week Toyota announced a new 60th Anniversary Toyota Crown and released a bunch of press photos.

The Toyota Crown may be the longest Toyota sedan in continuous existence. There have been 13 generations of the car or even 14 if you count the 60th anniversary as a new gen. 

Toyota Crowns of the 1980-1990s were very popular here in Russia as used cars brought from Japan.

Toyota Gives the Crown a New Shine at Sixty | TOYOTA Global Newsroom

 

As I said, the JDM Crown in previous generations (and mostly used) was immensely popular in Russia in late 1980s and 1990s, especially in the Russian Far East.

I think Toyota could achieve major sales if they brought this one to Russia, because Crown love still lingers. 

Toyota also released a batch of hi-res pictures of the 2016 Crown.

60th anniversary 2016 Crown Athlete

A crown shaped grille on the Crown Athlete.

LADA 4x4 Elbrus Edition

2015 UAZ Patriot

One bit of Russian automotive news that I missed is that UAZ started to offer its refreshed 2015 UAZ Patriot.

The UAZ Patriot is a mid-size to large SUV from the UAZ division of SeverstalAvto. 

It was introduced in 2005, went through several minor updates culminating in the 2015 New UAZ Patriot announced on August 20, 2015.

Some press photos.

It's not a bad looking SUV, especially from the front.

Air Van Food Truck x 2

Early last month (September 2015) I went to this Mosquarium aquarium facility in Moscow and saw these two Air Van food trucks on the approaches to it.

This is the first of the two.

Nice color.

This one sells burgers and hod dogs.

The second one (below) sells Uzbek-themed food under brand name of Chaikhona, pretty big in Moscow.

I think I saw it and reported on it before when it was at a slightly different location.

That time I wrongly identified it as an Airstream camper food truck.

Well, turns out it is not an Airstream but an Air Van and the Russian company that makes them says it is their own development, built and sold by them but acknowledges that they are inspired by the legendary Airstream van.

 

You can see some wordplay at work here - back and forth between the two languages - English and Russian, such as:

All you need is Plov
I Plove you
Make Plov not war (topical)
Ploveberry (which, the way it is said in Russian, means take plov)

Plov, also Pilav, is more commonly known internationally as Pilaf.

Toyota bB

A Toyota bB seen in March 2015 as recorded on my other blog at Moscow Cars.

It is a first-gen Toyota bB and appears to be lowered and even dumped, has some custom panels, bumper and skirts.

The lowered culture lives on in Moscow as you can see.

The white granules all around car are salt and grit -- the stuff they throw onto roads and pavements to make the snow and ice go away and not to have to clean it.

LADA Vesta Enters Production

A bit of automotive news.

The automotive news of the day September 25, 2015 is that the LADA Vesta enters production.

Quoting AvtoVAZ' press-release:

Press-release

September, 25^th, 2015

AV Group starts production of LADA Vesta

• First LADA Vesta rolls off the production line at LADA Izhevsk
• Start of sales – November 2015

AV Group announces the start of serial production of LADA Vesta at LADA Izhevsk assembly site. The first production vehicle rolled off the line in the presence of the Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in Volga Federal District Mikhail Babich, Deputy Minister for industry and trade Alexander Morozov, Head of Udmurtia Alexander Soloviyov and AVTOVAZ President Bo Inge Andersson.

A car with a middle trim level of the grey Pluton color is the first serial LADA Vesta produced. The vehicle is equipped with the AVTOVAZ engine (1,6-liter, 106 hp) and Renault mechanical gearbox. The initial level of localization of the vehicle is 71%. Prices and trim levels are subjects to be declared in front of the start of sales planned for Nov, 25^th, 2015.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Alexander Morozov congratulated AV with the launch of LADA Vesta. "This long-awaited and important event for the entire Russian industry and, of course, a real breakthrough for AV. Vesta has all the necessary advantages to please not only domestic but also foreign buyers. Launch of Vesta on the background of the current economic situation - this is a proof that our automobile industry does not deviate from the course of the technological development and improvement. The government for its turn will continue to support producers in an effort to produce modern and competitive products, such as the new Vesta», - added Mr. Morozov.

President of JSC "AVTOVAZ" Bo Inge Andersson said that LADA Vesta is a world-class car. «Vesta is a symbol of successful future of AV. It is produced at the world class factory with the best equipment, that provides world class quality. It is being built by the staff that we trained under worlds standards who work in the perfect conditions. Vesta returns pride to LADA brand».

LADA Vesta was created on a completely new LADA B / C platform, developed by engineers of AVTOVAZ with participation of specialists from Renault-Nissan Alliance. For the first time in the history of the LADA the distance between a concept car and a production vehicle is only 12 months.

LADA Vesta is produced at LADA Izhevsk along with Nissan models at AIMS production line providing flexible performance and reliable quality. LADA Izhevsk has one of the world’s best paint, body, trim-and-chassis shops.

A significant portion of components for LADA Vesta are produced in Togliatti: engines, transmissions, chassis components, parts of large and medium stamping, including faceplates. The contribution of Togliatti and Izhevsk in the price of LADA Vesta is 60% to 40% accordingly.

Additional information:

"AVTOVAZ" is the largest car producer in Russia. Its Togliatti plant is one of the 5 largest car plants in the world. It is the only one of the 46 plants of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which produces full-cycle vehicles under 4 brands (LADA, Renault, Nissan and Datsun).

In autumn of 2015 AVTOVAZ is starting production of LADA Vesta and LADA XRAY, which will provide a complete update of LADA brand.

AvtoVAZ also released a bunch of LADA Vesta promo pictures, and here they are:

Exterior