OREANDA-NEWS. Ulyanovsk plant in the near future will create a new car, with which it will try to conquer the budget buyer in the new category. Innovation of car will be provided at the expense of the development, which are made by NAMI and Sollers (owned UAZ) under the state project "Cortege" (cars on a single modular platform for officials). It was announced by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov, during a meeting with journalists.

According to the newspaper "Izvestia", there is only few detailed information about this car, but it is clear that it will be a revolutionary model for UAZ. This is the first for enterprise a compact crossover with a monocoque body - instead of the typical for UAZ frame structure (ie no frame, the supporting structure stands the vehicle body), Sollers informed "Izvestia". In addition, there will be also mono drive modification. It is this need UAZ to enter the fast-growing market of crossovers, but it will be required to produce at least 50,000 cars a year to recoup the investment, convince experts.

"Sollers took up a whole new niche - between the old" UAZ "and the new Patriot. That is a budget car with usages about 30% of those technological solutions that just developed by the state in a single modular platform for the project "Cortege", - said Mr.Manturov.

Ministry of Industry and Trade informed "Izvestia" that the partial unification of the new crossover with a single modular platform "Cortege" will significantly improve the commercial viability of the whole line of production (sedan, SUV, minivan, limousine) due to the connection of mass-production.

In Sollers confirmed that at the moment there is a development of the car with the working title SUV-C. "Yes, we are developing a new car and assume that it will be a new crossover of UAZ. While we are at the initial stage of development of this car: we formed the technical task for engineering and design work and actually this year we proceed directly to the case, "- the deputy director of the company Sollers, Zoya Kaika, informed "Izvestia".

According to her, the project is held by the scientific and technical center of UAZ, and it is a completely new product - a massive crossover with a monocoque body. "The car will be partly unified with a single modular platform" Cortege "and it will bring UAZ brand to a new level of consumer properties. Future product should expand the potential audience of the brand and sales of UAZ SUVs through the entrance to the crossover segment, which has been and will remain the most popular segments in the Russian market in the class SUV", - noted Mrs.Kaika. - "Therewith, the plant does not refuse the platform UAZ Patriot, which will also continue to develop in parallel and on the basis of which will continue to be made full-size frame SUVs. "

Source of "Izvestia", familiar with the situation at the plant, said that among other things it is supposed the budget and mono drive variant of SUV. According to him, the company will present a production model in 2019. Equipment of car will include all of the advanced security system, and a modern multimedia complex, and such options as leather seats. Crossover gets a new engine, the parameters of which are secret until now, Sollers is working with an engineering company, which has received an order for the engine. Which elements of the platform "Cortege" will be borrowed, are in a secret. In all likelihood, we are talking about the donation of floor module and steering assembly, which are enough labor-intensive in terms of engineering.

Sollers also refused to disclose the planned price positioning of upcoming car. But when you consider the words of the minister that the new car will occupy a niche between the old and the flagship models of UAZ Patriot, it can be assumed that the price tag will be in the area of 500-800 thousand rubles in prices of January of 2015. However, the success of the SUV-C will depend largely on whether the Ulyanovsk plant achieves a sufficiently high volume of sales of the new car.

"Development of a new model, posing in production - is quite costly and the economic impact is not always obvious, especially if they are able to achieve high sales. For example, AvtoVAZ - is a mass producer and bringing to market crossover Xray, it hopes for good sales. It will be required for UAZ to sell annually at least 50 thousand vehicles to achieve the desired financial return of the project - and that as much as the whole sales of UAZ for 2013", - said the auto industry analyst of "VTB Capital", Vladimir Bespalov. At the same time, the expert pointed out that now UAZ is in an advantageous position due to the fact that it can use the synergy of its project and "Cortege", sponsored by the state.

Executive Director of the Association of Russian Automakers, Igor Korovkin, noticed that recently UAZ vehicles military functions (since 2011 the Ministry of Defense stopped the purchase of UAZ-3151 - the so-called army commander SUV), and a new civil crossover, likely, will not help "UAZ" to return in the armed forces.

"Four-wheel drive car without a frame is unlikely to be of high passability. Everything will depend on how the new product will be tied to the military car. The vehicle, which is to go on the road, should be framed", - expressed the expectations Mr.Korovkin. He noted that UAZ are still bought by power ministries (Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Interior), who are primarily interested in the more utilitarian car than SUV.

"Naturally, they go to the market trend: it became clear by the example of Renault Duster that the crossover in the model range is the skate of brand. If Ulyanovsk plant will remain within the framework of adequate prices, which will greatly affect the established budget brand image, it will allow them to reach a new level of development of the company, "- says the managing partner of EURussia Partners, Ivan Bonchev.