Over the past 2 months, news has appeared that probably indicates in which direction the UAZ Hunter will develop. At the beginning of the year Chery presented the concept of “brutal” SUV Jetour TX. About a month after that, news broke that a Chinese company could become one of the main partners. Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant. Adding both messages, we get the new UAZ Hunter 2023-2024: this SUV can be redesigned in the Jetour TX style.
Despite the fact that so far this information is nothing more than an assumption, there is much evidence in favor of the fact that such an option is quite possible. Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant today is one of the main enterprises of the regional center of Russia. At the same time, UAZ found itself in a difficult financial situation. Even the fact that the company’s revenue for 2021 amounted to more than two billion rubles against one billion losses a year earlier, this did not improve the position of the car plant.
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As a result, there have long been rumors that UAZ is on the verge of bankruptcy. And the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant may soon be closed. But both the regional and the federal government of Russia will not allow such a situation. The country’s leadership should provide comprehensive support to such a large enterprise. This is supported by the results of the February meeting between the President of Russia and the head of the Communist Party of China. Recall that at that time a possible partnership between Chery and UAZ was announced.
A Chinese company may benefit from cooperation with the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant. The latter is able to provide at least half of its capacity for the assembly of Chery cars. Thanks to this, the Chinese company will be able to reduce the costs associated with the payment of import duties and reduce dependence on the ruble exchange rate. As a result, Chery brand crossovers will be more affordable and, as a result, attractive for purchase on the Russian market.
In turn, UAZ can also benefit from such a partnership. In addition to loading production capacity, the company will have access to Chinese technology. In particular, thanks to a partnership with Chery, UAZ can develop a new version of the Hunter. The reason why this particular SUV will become the first car that the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant modernizes is that it is both morally and technically outdated by now.
The basis for the future UAZ Hunter 2023-2024 will be the platform from the new Jetour TX. The main reason why this particular model was chosen as a prototype is that this brand will probably not enter the Russian market. Chery in our country sells cars both under its own and under by Exeed. Given the small capacity of the Russian market, Jetour crossovers, which are in many ways similar to the products of the parent company, will not be in demand among domestic motorists. However, the technologies that are involved in the production of Jetour models may be useful to UAZ.
The use of architecture from the Chinese SUV will allow the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant to solve several problems at once, which will definitely arise during the modernization of Hunter. First of all, the Russian model, after the work carried out, will retain the frame structure. This is an important detail, given that Hunter is associated among Russian motorists as a classic SUV.
The second point is the small size. The length of the Jetour TX concept is only 4600 mm, while in the current version of the Hunter this parameter barely exceeds 4 meters. That is, the future SUV will be larger and more spacious than its predecessor. The technical part of the new Jetour TX has not yet been disclosed. In this regard, it is difficult to make assumptions about what the UAZ Hunter will be like after the modernization. But it is already known that the Russian model will retain permanent all-wheel drive. In this case, it will be controlled by on-board electronics.
A number of sources have reported that Chery will equip the new Jetour TX with a powerful 3-liter turbo engine. However, the future Hunter will be equipped with less powerful units. This is explained by the fact that the current demand for the Russian model is largely related to its affordable price. In particular, the current version of Hunter costs a little over a million rubles. And the introduction of a 3-liter turbo engine can lead to the fact that the price of a Russian SUV will exceed 2 million rubles. Therefore, even despite such dramatic changes, sales of the new Hunter due to such a high cost will probably be minimal.
In this regard, it is more likely that the Russian model will receive a 1.5-liter turbo engine, which Chery has recently upgraded. This unit has become more powerful, economical and environmentally friendly. After installation on the Hunter, the output of the 1.5-liter turbo engine should be reduced to 150 hp. Complete with this engine, they can offer both a 6-speed “mechanics” and a 7-speed “robot”. And the second option is more likely.
The new UAZ Hunter 2023-2024 will become an almost complete copy of the Chinese counterpart in terms of body design. The Russian model will appear as an angular SUV with flat panels. This format of car performance is gaining popularity both in China and in other countries. The Russian novelty will have a long rectangular radiator grille with protruding slats in front, which create the appearance of a powerful car. The head optics are made as several different-sized LED strips arranged vertically or horizontally. The front of the new Hunter has a really powerful bumper with tow hooks. According to rumors, there are fastenings for mounting an electric winch.
Like classic SUVs, the presented model is complemented by a full-size wheel, which is completely covered with a plastic cover. The stern of the novelty is perpendicular to the roadway, which, in combination with a flat roof, creates conditions for increasing free space in the cabin without increasing the length of the body.
The interior design of the new Hunter is still unknown. The interior of the Jetour TX is likely to be made in a premium style. This model, according to the official statement, will become a direct competitor for Land Rover SUVs and the new Tank 300, which Great Wall Company has been selling on the home market since last year. However, for the future Hunter, the interior will be simplified. This is explained by the same reason: the Russian SUV must keep an affordable price. Therefore, UAZ Hunter 2022-2023 will not receive leather seats and many other options that are typical for premium models. However, when buying a future SUV, you can count on the presence of a digital instrument panel, climate system, multimedia and acoustics. That is, Hunter will finally receive equipment that is installed today even on very cheap cars such as Suzuki Baleno for 650 thousand rubles.