Ukraine’s ZAZ Unveils Van Based on Earlier Chevrolet Aveo

VIENNA – Ukrainian auto maker ZAZ unveils a delivery van based on the previous-generation Chevrolet Aveo at the SIA 2013 auto show in the country’s capital of Kiev.

ZAZ produces the earlier Aveo, rebadged as the ZAZ Vida hatchback and sedan, at its plant in Zaporozhye. Volume production of the new model is expected to start in 2014.

The new light-commercial vehicle is dubbed ZAZ Vida Pick-up. Despite its model name, it is not a pickup truck but a car-based delivery van. The bodywork of the cargo section is made from plastic.

The vehicle’s 108-in. (275-cm) wheelbase is longer than that of the original Vida. It is powered by a 1.5L gasoline engine making 86 hp.

The ZAZ Vida Pick-up offers 105 cu.-ft. (3,000 L) of cargo space, and the payload is 1,540 lbs. (700 kg).

There is a need for vehicles with this kind of body in Ukraine. ZAZ already produces a similar van based on the ZAZ Lanos, which is a slightly updated Daewoo Lanos sedan.

Bogdan Motors, another Ukrainian auto maker, builds a small delivery van based on an older Lada model.

In the future, ZAZ may export its new LCV to Russia or other Commonwealth of Independent States markets.

ZAZ also introduces the final production version of the restyled Vida sedan. The car, unveiled at last year’s Moscow auto show, basically is a sedan with the front of the Vida hatchback.

Andrey Zalutsky, general director of the distribution company AvtoZAZ-service, says volume production of the sedan facelift will start in late 2013 or early 2014.