As you know, after leaving Russia Renault the Moscow Automobile Plant will be transferred to the production of Moskvich cars. At the same time, the French company transferred to AvtoVAZ the rights to produce crossover Duster. But little is known about what the future holds for other Renault models. In particular, the French company is ready to continue to supply AvtoVAZ with components for Lada cars. However, it is not known what will be done with Logan i Sanderowhich until recently were going to Tolyatti.
There is a certain probability that, in addition to the Duster, all other models of the French brand will remain in Russia. AT in one of the previous articles we showedhow Renault can keep its cars in our country. This will be done by transferring the production of the Moscow Automobile Plant to products of the Moskvich brand. And under the revived brand, according to rumors, Renault models will be produced. This process will proceed at an accelerated pace. But first, the most popular Renault models will be put on the conveyor belt.
One of the first cars to resume production at the Moscow Automobile Plant is likely to be crossover Arkana. Only they could sell it as Moskvich “Legend” 2022-2023, the renderings of which have already been demonstrated by the domestic designer. Note that this renaming is in line with the development strategy of the French company. For example, Arkana in South Korea is sold as Renault Samsung XM3. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that in Russia the French model will be produced under the Moskvich brand.
However, Arkana expects not only a rename, but also some other changes. First of all, the engineers of the Moscow Automobile Plant can adjust the technical part of the crossover. The fact is that Arkana today is sold with two power units. One of them, a 1.3-liter turbo engine, until recently was delivered to Russia in finished form. Under the current conditions, it is not possible to continue importing this engine. But releasing a new Moskvich “Legend” with only one engine means significantly limiting the choice, which can negatively affect the demand for a car.
Therefore, at first, the Russian model will be presented with a 1.6-liter 114-horsepower “aspirated”. This unit is now being installed on Arkana. Also, at first, the 1.6-liter “aspirated” will be equipped with a 5- or 6-speed “mechanics”, since the production of both boxes is more deeply localized in Russia. But it is possible that Moskvich “Legend” 2022-2023 will immediately come out with a stepless variator. Perhaps the terms of the licenses that Renault handed over to the new owners also imply the production of this box.
Taking into account the fact that Arkana and Duster are crossovers close to each other, it is likely that the new Moskvich Legend will also receive a 2-liter naturally aspirated engine, the maximum output of which reaches 143 hp. At the same time, the likelihood that the Russian model will be equipped with a turbodiesel is reduced to a minimum. However, this largely depends on the level of localization of the production of a 1.5-liter engine. If it is high, then it is possible that the engineers of the Moscow Automobile Plant will be able to establish the production of the Moskvich “Legend” with such a turbodiesel.
Despite the fact that the technical characteristics of the Russian crossover have not been officially confirmed, it is already safe to say that the car will receive an all-wheel drive transmission. This directly follows from the terms of the license for the production of Duster, which Renault transferred to AvtoVAZ. Therefore, the new Moskvich Legend 2022-2023 will be comparable to Arkana in terms of driving performance.
Visually, the Russian model will resemble the French one. Although there may be some changes in the appearance of the Moskvich “Legend”. They, like other adjustments, may be due to a shortage of components, which neither Renault nor AvtoVAZ could cope with. For this reason, Moskvich “Legend” at first will be produced in a simplified form. In particular, the Russian model will be deprived of LED optics, which in a certain way will affect the appearance of the car.
More noticeable differences between the Moskvich “Legend” and the Arcana will be seen in the cabin. The Russian novelty will receive its own multimedia screen and climate control equipment. Both devices for Moskvich will be borrowed from restyled Lada Vesta, which has not yet entered the Russian market. The choice in favor of VAZ equipment is due to the fact that its production is localized in our country. Therefore, the new Moskvich Legend will be equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen monitor, which will be installed vertically on the center console. It is also possible that the dashboard with three deep “wells” will be transferred from Vesta to the crossover.
In more detail, the characteristics of the new Moskvich “Legend” 2022-2023 will become known closer to the date of the presentation of the car. The debut of this model can be expected at the end of this or early next year. Such an early presentation of the new car is explained by the fact that the Moscow Automobile Plant has all the developments necessary to launch the production of such a crossover. Basically, the engineers will have to make minor adjustments, which won’t take long.