In 2000, the plant changed its owner: a controlling stake in GAZ OJSC was acquired by Oleg Deripaska's company. The new owner was not very satisfied with the current situation, so the enterprise underwent a large-scale restructuring, during which a number of projects and directions were curtailed. The main goal was to turn a loss-making automobile plant into a profitable enterprise. As in the difficult nineties, GAZ had to survive at the expense of commercial vehicles, on which the main emphasis was placed.
Of course, the division Cars"In the middle of the 2000s, he modernized the old Volga, but she could only compete with foreign cars in linear dimensions, completely losing to them in terms of comfort, ergonomics, reliability and safety. It was obvious that it was essential new car, which has nothing to do with the old platform.
Since GAZ already had experience in acquiring foreign companies to expand its model range(we are talking about the English company LDV Group), without further ado, they decided to do the same with the “passenger cars”.
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The owners of the Gorky Automobile Plant did not just buy a license to produce a foreign car - in 2006, the GAZ Group acquired the Sterling Heights Assembly, which belonged to the Daimler Chrysler concern, for $150 million. It produced various models of Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth, including the "twin brothers" Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus.
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The idea was not bad: instead of the long-obsolete Volzhanka, Nizhny Novgorod should have produced fairly modern medium-sized cars, which, in terms of class and purpose, were analogous to the Volga. It is important that the American car, despite the front-wheel drive layout, according to the general concept, was closer to GAZ than its Asian and European counterparts. After all, the Russian automobile plant itself had overseas roots - its first products were Ford cars A and .
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At the heart of the car with a length of over 4.8 meters was the Chrysler JR41 front-wheel drive platform. The car cannot be called old - Sebrings and Stratuses of this generation began to be produced in 2000, and the European version appeared a year later.
The external differences between Siber and overseas counterparts were minimal - different bumpers, a different grille and optics that corresponded to Russian standards. It is interesting that during the "Russification" the design of the American sedan was finalized by a third-party contractor - the British bodywork studio Ultramotive.
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It is a pity that even before that, during the American restyling of 2003, the car lost its oval air intake, into which the whalebone in the style of the very first Volga M-21 would fit perfectly. Instead, the Sebring received a trapezoidal grille reminiscent of the Audi front end.
Well, in the Russian version, Siber also lost the Chrysler “bird” on the grille, which again brings back memories of the “twenty-first”.
Technically, the Russian version, first called GAZ Siber, and then Volga Siber, practically did not differ from the “Americans”, except that the 2.7-liter V6 engine was never installed on the Sabers in the Russian Federation, and the more modest two-liter version did not go into the series either.
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Faced with reality, the plant decided that from the point of view of profitability, only two modifications would be enough, differing only in transmission - a four-speed "automatic" or a five-speed "mechanics", respectively. But Saiber relied on only one engine - a four-cylinder sixteen-valve with a working volume of 2.4 liters. He gave out quite decent 143 hp. and 210 Nm of torque - comparable to the "four hundred and sixth" engine of the Volga and not god knows what by the standards of German "charged" sedans, but quite enough for a leisurely move along the Russian "autobahns". By the way, for this purpose, the suspension of the car was slightly modified, increasing the rigidity of the elastic elements, which had a positive effect on handling.
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Even in the basic configuration, the Comfort Volga Siber was equipped much better than the previous Volga: air conditioning, two airbags, ABS, traction control, electric adjustment of the driver's seat in 6 directions, an audio system, etc.
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In the "luxury" version (it was called Lux), the package included a leather interior with wood trim, and the driver's seat could be adjusted in as many as 10 directions.
It would seem that, great option! A large, spacious and comfortable car is what you need Russian consumer, for whom the Volga has been a symbol of prestige and belonging to the "powerful of this world" since Soviet times.
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It is not surprising that the owners of GAZ had big plans: already in the first year of production they planned to produce 10,000 Sabers, in the next year, 2009, they were going to make 45,000 cars, and in the future, the plant was supposed to produce about 65,000 cars of this model annually under the design plant capacity of 100,000 pcs. Dreams Dreams...
Alas, the car was destined to appear on the Russian market at a very unfortunate time - on the very eve of the financial crisis that broke out in the fall of 2008.
In March, a pilot batch was produced, in July it started mass production Saiberov, at the end of August, the first deliveries to "corporate workers" began, and since October the car appeared on free sale for everyone, who by the end of 2008 became very few. Due to the fall in oil prices and the country's significant external debt, just in October 2008, a large-scale financial and economic crisis began in the Russian Federation. Banks suffered huge losses and sharply curtailed their credit programs, which immediately affected the ordinary consumer - the very one who was supposed to become the buyer of Cyber.
Plans for the release of a new model were immediately forced to be revised: in 2008 they decided to release 3,000 copies, and in 2009 - only 10,000. Alas, at a price of over 500,000 rubles, Siber was not the most interesting offer on the suddenly collapsed market. Therefore, out of 1,717 cars produced in 2008, only 428 Volga Sibers were found by their customers. In fact, it was a complete failure, and the production of new items had to be stopped already in March 2009 - by that time less than 200 copies had been produced since the beginning of the year.
However, problems with the sale of products at the enterprise began already in the fourth quarter of 2008, because of which the plant stopped its other conveyors several times, including the production of commercial vehicles, due to which the enterprise existed.
It is no wonder that due to a sharp drop in sales of finished cars, the plant has a significant debt to suppliers and creditors - about 20 billion rubles. At that moment, the plant even decided to stop the production of conventional Volgas with the possibility of resuming it if the situation improved, but this did not solve it either. financial problems. Therefore, GAZ management tried to get out of the crisis in other ways, laying off about 10,000 employees and switching to a shorter work week. In an effort to improve its own financial position, the GAZ Group even quickly got rid of its British asset - the LDV Holdings plant, which produced Maxus commercial vehicles.
The state helped out: GAZ Group received an order for the supply of over 400 Cybers to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, since the model was included in the list domestic cars for centralized public procurement. Indeed, in February 2009, the Government of the Russian Federation decided to provide financial support to the GAZ Group.
True, all the same, the year for the new model was not very successful - less than three thousand Volga Siber were produced and sold. But Siber was lucky - as part of state support, he was also included in the list of cars that could be purchased under the state recycling program, which thus saved 50,000 rubles.
The following year, 2010, the economic situation began to improve slightly, and the Russian car market began to rise a little from its knees. However, due to problems with the supply of components, production was again suspended, releasing a total of about 5,000 Cybers in 2010.
Despite the increased ground clearance compared to the original, the sedan was not too adapted to Russian roads
To increase sales of the "stillborn" sedan to this mark helped its own program for the recycling of cars. As part of its action, the plant provided an additional discount in the amount of 70,000 rubles, which, in total with state program recycling allowed the buyer to save up to 120,000 "wooden". At the same time, neither the year of manufacture of the car, nor the period of ownership mattered, but to hand over old car when buying Cyber, both individuals and legal entities from any region of Russia. In a word, the plant went to great lengths to "cheer up" sales of the new model.
It did not help: Volga Siber remained a loss-making car for the company, the production of which was decided to be discontinued in October 2010. Thus, the model lasted exactly two years on the assembly line, never surviving the consequences of the crisis. In total, less than 9,000 cars were produced, and not all of them were sold. The cars that did not find their owners worked as a taxi "Kuban-express" at the airports of the Krasnodar Territory. The Bazel company that launched this project, as you might guess, belongs to the same Oleg Deripaska.
The practical operation of the Cybers revealed a lack of clearance and poor geometric cross-country ability. But it wasn’t this that ruined the American-Russian car at all - Cyber just fell victim to the crisis, becoming one of the biggest “epic fails” of the Russian auto industry. An interesting fact: a decade earlier, at an equally unfortunate time for itself, another Russian car plant, Doninvest, opened. Its launch immediately after the default that broke out in 1998 can be called a false start with full confidence. Alas, Siber turned out to be the same loser, becoming the last passenger car of the Gorky Automobile Plant.
Interestingly, in pre-crisis times american car“shared” his “heart” with the true Volga: since the summer of 2006, the same 2.4-liter Chrysler engine made in Mexico was installed on the GAZ-31105.
This required certain layout changes to be made to the design of the car, and the transmission was also finalized. In "gold" for the Russian automotive market In 2007, more than half of the classic Volga was equipped with a Mexican-made engine - not least because GAZ and ZMZ could not always find a common language regarding the cost of Russian engines.
However, the crisis not only hurt the “novice foreign tourist” Siber, but also retired ordinary “barges”, which by the end of the 2000s had ceased to be in demand even among Russian motorists loyal to this model and brand. And the owners of the enterprise, it seems, at that moment were tired of suffering losses from the production of cars, as a result of which it was discontinued. Since then, the GAZ Group has completely concentrated on the production of commercial vehicles and trucks - as the experience of two decades of free floating in a market economy after the collapse of the USSR showed, from a business point of view, they turned out to be much more successful and profitable. We can only guess how unprofitable the Russian-American sedan turned out to be if its production was abandoned in the relatively prosperous 2010.
However, at the end of 2012, the Gorky Automobile Plant continued to produce cars! True, this has nothing to do with the Volga: at the enterprise, by order of Volkswagen Group Rus, they launched the production of Skoda cars and Volkswagen, as well as Chevrolet Aveo sedans and hatchbacks.
Do you regret that Siber appeared at such an inopportune moment?
For the first time, domestic motorists learned about the Volga Siber back in 2007, when a novelty was presented in Moscow by the GAZ group according to their statements. But, in fact, this is just a model of Americans produced under license by Chrysler under the Sebring index. The licensed Volga copied the entire technical layout, as well as design details.
Today we will try to figure out what is presented in technical terms, having studied the Volga Siber from the photo, we will determine what design, how the interior is arranged, and the like. We will find out all the features, a description, whether it is possible to buy a car now or not. We also find out, perhaps, for GAZ Volga Siber has reviews from the owners, we will give examples.
Design
On the conveyor new Volga did not last long, by 2010 sales fell catastrophically and the manufacturer abandoned further production.
The appearance of the car clearly excludes European or even Russian motives, it is not strange, because it was originally "American" in its entirety.
They didn’t change anything drastically, a vulgar backside, a modest and specific full face. Only the side part, due to the oblong lines, is somehow combined with the former Volga. That is, you can catch exactly that detail, wide, swinging premium Volga cars of the Soviet era.
Exterior
Although the outside of the Volga Siber does not have the proper sympathy, it still looks much nicer than the miserable domestic "31". It has its own style, certain design trends and continuity, if we talk about the donor. Wide squints of optics peer into the distance from the full face, a trapezoidal radiator grill, traditionally with an abundance of chrome parts.
The side part in the stern area causes a frankly double impression. On the one hand, a clear sedan, but if you look from behind, you get the feeling that this is a coupe. Characteristically littered racks. But, nevertheless, this is a sedan with its characteristic “tail” of the trunk. The dimensions refer the Volga Siber to class D, the Volga is 4858 mm long, 1792 wide, and 1409 mm high.
Interior
Despite the fact that the salon looks frankly old-fashioned, there is no disgust from it. Nice appearance, the most interesting thing is that the quality of the finishes was kept American. There are decor inserts in the form of metal plates or wood, which gives the interior a certain chic and solidity.
The equipment for those years is rather weak, but if we accept that the models are generally from the early 90s or even the late 80s, everything falls into place.
The Volga sedan is equipped with a sporty dashboard combination with bright white accents.
In the central part, they found a haven for a modest radio and a small “climate” remote control. By the way, the "steering wheel" Volgovsky in all its glory, of course, without any bells and whistles.
Specifications
Specifications Volga Siber, what about the suspension, what engine, gearbox? Let's start with the engine. Only one engine is presented here, petrol Volga Siber 2.4 liters. The Volga Cyber generates with a 2.4-liter unit of 143 hp. With. and 210 Nm. Depending on the modification, two “boxes” are offered: 4-speed “automatic” front-wheel drive and a 5-speed "mechanics" also with front-wheel drive. Fuel consumption within 10 liters per "hundred".
The suspension is borrowed from the "American", namely under the Chrysler JR41 index, with independent suspensions on both axes. MacPherson front, plenty of leverage in the back, complete with stabilizers and coil springs. There is also a power steering for the convenience of "taxiing". Both axles are equipped with disc “pancakes”, with an electronic ABS assistant. Such a factory tuning. Parts Volga Siber in terms of suspension are difficult to get, similarly for the motor, so it’s a strange decision to buy a used Siber.
Options and prices
At the dawn of production, only two configurations of the Volga Siber were offered, the base and, accordingly, the top. Today, taking into account the fact that the models are no longer in production, they can only be found on the "secondary". Accordingly, the price will be lower, within 190,000 rubles per good condition. As for the equipment, the basic version was equipped with:
- Two airbags.
- Hydraulic booster.
- Drive front seats (unprecedented chic for the domestic auto industry).
- Air conditioner.
- Drive and heated mirrors.
- Electrical package and much more.
AT top versions added:
- Leather trim.
- Seat heating.
- "casting".
- Illumination of coasters.
- Headlight washer.
- Fog lights.
So, 22000 km have been completed, something can already be written about this car.
How to choose:
Siber is a really strange choice, especially for a young man of 25 years old. But objectively, there were simply no other cars for this money. Before that, I drove the 9th Lancer 2.0 liter 2005, Audi A6 2005, Nissan Tiana 3.5l. 2007, DEU Nexia 1998
So why Cyber?
Wanted pretty big car, with a budget up to 650000r.
Dynamics was not the main selection criterion, since by the age of 25 he had already finished racing.
The automatic was preferable to the mechanics.
Climate control did not suit me on any car that I had before - therefore, its presence did not play a significant role.
Of course, the car should have had: power steering, ABS and airbags.
Leather interior is another nuance that I appreciate in the interior of the car.
Ford Focus and his classmates disappeared immediately - due to the small dimensions of the cabin, as well as the lack of automatic transmission in poor trim levels. The Chinese were not considered. Remained: Sonata, Volga Cyber and Renault Fluence. Renault was also unavailable in the version with automatic transmission, the Sonata was completely outdated, and it was circled by taxi drivers, and that's how I came to the choice of Siber.
About the purchase: You buy the Volga like a tractor. I remember in 1998 at the time of buying Daewoo Nexia father attitude was better, kept in a closed garage, all polished to a shine. The Volga was brought from open parking well, a little dusty. Somewhat disrespectfully short. Gasoline in the tank is completely at zero, as luck would have it, the nearest gas station was closed. But the car dealership where I bought the car developed their own floor mats for it, which really turned out to be very good. Well, it's the little things.
Design: There is nothing beautiful in it, you will not find anything terrible either. Completely neutral car, with a distinctly American appearance. The interior is insanely archaic, but understandable, everything is at hand. Ergonomics pulls on 4+, there are some miscalculations, but it seems to me that they are individual for each person.
Comfort:
The air conditioner works fine, but the limited modes of its operation are disappointing, there are only three of them: legs + body, body, recirculation. Moreover, recirculation cannot be turned on separately from the air conditioner.
Not cabin filter- this will probably be my only collective farm improvement. You still have to mount it somehow. After three days of Moscow traffic jams, the torpedo is covered with a layer of dust.
My height is 190cm. The distance from the roof to the crown is 3-5 cm. - annoying, especially from the very beginning, now I'm used to it.
Excellent adjustment of the driver's seat (electro), landing - perfect. There is lumbar support.
Seat heating works great.
The oven does its job very well.
The head unit suits me with everything, the sound is acceptable, 12 stations in memory are enough, there is MP3.
2 cigarette lighter in the cabin, cup holders, door pockets are quite spacious. Also a nice central armrest, which is also quite roomy glove compartment.
Very clear, comfortable steering wheel.
Noise isolation is not ideal, but better than in my wife's Kia SiD or the same Mazda 3.
The headlights perfectly illuminate the 20-30 meter space in front of the car.
The fan has 4 speeds. No noise works only on the 1st.
The backlight has a green color, can change the brightness level - which is very pleasing to the eye.
Insanely stupid location of the emergency stop button.
Wiper control is unusual, but very convenient and you quickly get used to it.
Like for comfort and all.
Driving performance :
The long wheelbase and low ground clearance dictate a very smooth ride on our roads, especially in yards and near curbs. Still, it happens that you cling to the front overhang or the bottom of some large speed bump.
Medium hard suspension. It's the rigidity. Small bumps feel pretty good for a car of this class. But turns and holds the track perfectly, again for a car of this class.
Acceleration is sure. More recently, I measured the time from 0 to 100 on the 95th gasoline and on the type-tronic, it turned out to be better than the declared one and amounted to 11 seconds, which is a good indicator in city traffic. Especially briskly goes from 0 to 70 - further quieter.
The engine is not audible until 2.5 thousand revolutions, after which its rather strong screech invades the cabin.
Gasoline consumption: 11-14 liters in the city, depending on driving style. 8-10 liters track.
ACCP:
The 4-speed automatic is of course outdated and braked. But I can’t really complain about it, it switches smoothly, without jerks, it reacts to a kickdown in about 0.5 seconds. There is a manual shift mode, but it does not even allow you to get into the red zone of the tachometer, it switches to a higher gear itself.
Breakdowns:
The first trouble happened at 11 thousand. Cyber has completely eaten the oil. From which I was in some shock. Moreover, it was not possible to add oil, due to the lack of such in the Russian market. I went to TO-1, where the oil was changed to Castrol, they said that it was a running-in of the engine and now everything will be fine, they were right. By 22 thousand, the oil level dropped slightly.
The second trouble is powerful PTFs, which melt the plastic of the headlight with their heat, which makes it black. They changed it under warranty for the same ones, with the words: “it’s better not to turn it on for a long time, otherwise you will come to us to change them.”
The third and fourth happened two days ago. Two dipped beam lamps and a fuse, which was responsible for the wipers and turn signals, burned out with a difference of 2 hours. It’s unpleasant, I’ll tell you to drive at night without headlights and turn signals, and even with dirty glass. Changed on the same day, issue price 185r.
That's actually all.
I think that the car turned out to be excellent, although everything our guys put their hands to breaks (and these are headlights and PTF), but 95% of the car is still America, which does not rattle, does not crumble, but makes movement in space comfortable, at least and no extra amenities.
The premiere of the Volga Siber sedan took place at the Interauto show in Moscow in 2007. The car was presented under the name GAZ Siber. The car was developed on the Chrysler JR41 front-wheel drive base, which was used in the Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Sebring. The design of the car was developed by the English studio UltraMotive. Designers were given the task of using American developments to create a car with the classic features of Russian cars. GAZ Volga Siber differs from American models on the same platform by a radiator grille, bumpers and headlights. To adapt to Russian roads, the ground clearance was increased and the stiffness of the suspension was increased. Serial production of the model began in the summer of 2008. At the same time, deliveries of GAZ Volga Siber to large corporate customers began. The car appeared on free sale only in the fall. It was originally planned to equip the car with engines of 2 and 2.4 liters. But only cars with 2.4-liter engines were launched into mass production. The first cars were equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission. In April 2010, Volga Siber received a five-speed mechanical transmission.
Specifications GAZ Volga Siber
sedan
- width 1 792mm
- length 4 858mm
- height 1 409mm
- ground clearance 140mm
- places 5
3.3 / 5 ( 3 votes)
The Volga Cyber is a domestic mid-size sedan produced from 2008 to 2010. It was presented by the Russian company GAZ Group at the Interauto-2007 exhibition in Moscow on August 29, 2007. Although, during the demonstration, the model was called GAZ Siber, later it was renamed Volga Siber. The entire range of GAZ.
History of creation
During the nineties, the design staff of the automobile plant in the city of Gorky was already working on a brand new Volga - a car that would replace an already obsolete car that had its own pedigree from the one designed in the mid-1960s.
No matter how sorry, neither the "nomenclature" nor the Volga cars designed already during the post-Soviet period (3103, 3104 and 3111) could become models that would be mass-produced.
Even the fact that several hundred models were released did not save the situation, and multiple restylings, along with upgrades for the already old Volga, could not make it modern. The situation was not affected even by the presence of a sixteen-valve power unit.
The barge's pivotless suspension remained an archaism of its time, since the appearance and ergonomic component, regardless of the model, corresponded to the fashion of the twentieth century. In fact, a new age has already begun.
After the owner was changed at the plant in 2000, or rather, the controlling stake in OAO GAZ was owned by Oleg Deripaska's company, small innovations began. The owner was not happy with the current situation, which is why GAZ carried out a large-scale restructuring, during which they curtailed a whole list of projects and areas.
The main goal pursued by Oleg Deripaska's company was to turn a loss-making enterprise into a profitable production. The situation was a little repeated, to survive Gorkovsky car factory should with the help of commercial equipment, on which the main emphasis was placed.
More factory difficulties
It is clear that the division "Cars" in the mid-2000s managed to improve the old Volga, however, it was competitive with respect to foreign ones only in terms of linear dimensions.
The Russian vehicle was losing ground in terms of comfort, ergonomics, reliability and safety. Everyone understood that it was required radically new car, which does not have common nodes with the previous database.
Since GAZ already had experience in buying foreign companies in order to develop its own model range (the British company LDV Group), the company decided not to rack its brains and act in the same way with passenger models.
Therefore, the owners of GAZ decided not only to acquire a license for the production foreign car, but also, even, to buy the Sterling Heights Assembly assembly plant for $ 150,000,000, which belonged to the Daimler Chrysler concern.
This plant produced different cars, such as, and, as well as our Volga had "twin brothers" Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus. The idea cannot be called bad, since instead of the already morally backward Volga, the Nizhny Novgorod plant planned to produce fairly modern medium-sized cars, which, according to classification and intended purpose, acted as an analogue of the Volga.
It is also very important that the American car, if you do not pay attention to the layout with front-wheel drive, in the general concept was closer to the Gorky Automobile Plant than similar cars from Asia or Europe.
car base
Do not forget that the Russian company had overseas roots - the debut products were Ford A and AA cars. For the basis of the car, the length of which exceeded 4.8 meters, they decided to take the Chrysler JR41 front-wheel drive platform.
The model can hardly be called old, because Sebring and Stratus of this generation were launched on the conveyor in 2000, and the version for Europe was shown a year later.
For the Russian version, they decided to make an increased ground clearance, because the quality of the roads here, however, as always, is at a low level. What else was required? Everyone was sure it was perfect option vehicle. And the company itself also set its own goals.
In the first year of production, they planned to produce about 10,000 sedans, and in 2009 - already 45,000. In the future, they planned to produce a good amount at the plant - 65,000 units. But the design capacity of the enterprise itself was as much as 100,000 copies!
Further life of the sedan
Sadly, but the car came out on Russian market just as the financial crisis erupted in 2008. March was marked by the release of a pilot batch, and in the summer they began to mass-produce Cybers.
August allowed the long-awaited deliveries of cars to begin, and a couple of months later, in October, anyone who wanted (more precisely, who had money) could freely purchase a sedan.
Following the fall in oil prices and the fact that the country had a large external debt, in 2008 Russian Federation financial and economic crisis broke out. Banks began to suffer heavy losses and very quickly removed their own loan programs.
But this could not but affect ordinary consumers, who were potential buyers of Siber. The plan for the production of sedans was immediately revised, and in 2008 it was decided to create 3,000 cars, and only 10,000 the following year.
It's a pity, but with a serious price tag, more than 500 thousand rubles, the Volga was not the most interesting offer in the rapidly collapsing market. Based on this, in 2008, out of 1,717 cars produced by the Gorky Automobile Plant, only 428 units were purchased by buyers.
Photo of the car Volga Siber In fact, it was an absolute collapse, therefore, the management was forced to complete production in the spring (March) of 2009. This year allowed to release only 200 sedans.
Although, in principle, the company had difficulties with the sale of cars already in the 4th quarter of 2008, after which the company stopped several times, which even affected the rest of the conveyors, which included commercial vehicles.
And the latter, just, was the main bread of the whole plant. It is easy to guess that due to the sharp drop in the sale of brand new cars, the plant began to owe about 20 billion rubles to its suppliers and creditors.
Attempts to help with implementation
At this stage, the plant even adopted a decision to freeze the production of standard Volga with the possibility of defrosting them in an improved situation, but this could not solve financial difficulties.
The company had no choice but to try to get out of the critical situation in another way - to cut about 10 thousand employees and switch to a shorter working week.
To increase the material component, the company was even able to quickly get rid of its own English asset - the LDV Holdings enterprise, which produced Maxus commercial vehicles.
The government came to the rescue by placing an order for the sale of more than 400 sedans to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, since the car was on the list Vehicle Russian production for centralized public procurement.
February 2009 allowed the Government of Russia to adopt a resolution on providing financial support to the GAZ Group. It is worth recognizing that despite this, 2009 was not a very successful year for Siber - a little less than 3,000 models were released and sold.
But the sedan was lucky - a state support program was released, which implies its inclusion in the list of cars included in the state recycling program, which allows saving about 50 thousand rubles.
The following year, 2010, the economy gradually began to recover, and the market of the Russian Federation began to gradually rise. But due to interruptions in the provision of production with components, production was again frozen, producing only 5,000 vehicles this year.
Recycling program
It was possible to raise the level of sales of an unclaimed car with the help of its own program for the recycling of cars. Its essence was to provide an additional discount - 70 thousand rubles, which, together with the state recycling program, provided the consumer with the opportunity to save up to 120 thousand rubles.
When purchasing Volga Siber, both individuals and legal entities in any region of the Russian Federation could rent out old cars. The company decided to throw all its efforts in order to "wake up" the inhabitants of a large country.
Volga Siber But that didn't help the situation. The model continued to be unprofitable for the plant, so it was decided to close its production in October 2010. It turns out that the car could only last a couple of years, and he never managed to survive the consequences of the financial crisis.
Photo of Volga Siber sedan In total, less than 9 thousand copies were produced, but not all of them were sold. Comfortable cars worked under the Kuban-Express taxi at airports in the Krasnodar Territory. This project was launched by the company "Basel", which, just, was under the control of Oleg Deripaska.
It is worth noting that in pre-crisis times, the American car "shared" its own power unit with the "root" Volga. Starting from the summer of 2006, the GAZ-31105 came with the same 2.4-liter Chrysler engines produced in Mexico.
Exterior
It was quite difficult to distinguish Siber from overseas brothers in appearance. Yes, there were other bumpers, a different grille and optics that met Russian requirements.
However, this is probably where the differences end. Therefore, to call a car purely Russian simply will not raise a hand. Also very interesting is the fact that in the process of "Russification" the appearance of the American was finalized by a contractor from the outside - the English bodywork studio Ultramotive.
Sedan Volga Cyber It's a shame that during the improvements by American specialists in 2003, the car had already lost its oval air intake, which perfectly fit the famous Volgovsky "whalebone" in the style of the debut 21st. Instead, a trapezoidal grille was installed on the Sebring, which was a bit like the bow of a German Audi.
The front of the Cyber had the famous "whalebone" in the mouth of the air intake, which was still on the oldest 21st model.
If we talk about the Russified variation of Siber, then she still lost the Chrysler “bird” on the grille, which again evoked memories of. The rear-mounted lights had central projections downwards, while on the Siber they were straight. The front lighting of the American version looked better and more stylish.
Volga Siber rear view The mirrors located on the sides of the GAZ car were larger, which was a more acceptable solution. The front bumper, along with the Volga grille, was more modern, and the rear bumper was American model was voluminous and without reflectors. You can see the resemblance in the photo.
Interior
If we talk about the interior space of GAZ Siber, then it was comfortable for him, since seats with a frame from Ford Fusion. The rear sofa had an armrest in the middle part, and headrests for passengers were installed on the side. "Sebring" did not have these elements. Moreover, it was spacious inside only in the Russian version of the American, which allows even tall people to comfortably sit in the cabin.
How else did the Volga differ from the American sedan? The Russian had white dials on the dashboard, the ability to shift automatic gears in manual mode, more spacious luggage space and a stiffer suspension that behaved more confidently on bad roads. And these are the differences between the model and the American version. The salon itself, in general, was just heaven and earth in comparison with its predecessor.
The basic Comfort package had air conditioning and other features Already the basic Comfort equipment had an air conditioner, a pair of airbags, ABS, traction control, electric adjustment of the driver's seat in 6 directions, an audio system and more.
The luxury version was already equipped with a leather interior with wood trim, and the driver's seat was regulated in as many as 10 directions.
The driver was presented with a comfortable and easy wheel, behind which were the turn switch, lighting and wiper control. The entire front panel was very ergonomic and stylish. There was a feeling that you really were driving a foreign car (although it was so).
Volga Cyber dashboard A pair of white massive round sensors stood out on the dashboard, where the left one was responsible for the number of revolutions of the power unit, and the right one for the speed limit. In the left corner there was a fuel level sensor, and in the right corner the engine temperature was displayed. In large circles there were also small information displays, which showed information about the included speed, handbrake, and so on.
Salon Features
The salon received a convenient and ergonomic arrangement of the climate system deflectors. On the center console were controls for the climate system itself, the music system and other options. To the right, on the panel itself, one could find a small glove box for storing the necessary small things.
It will be extremely difficult for a simple person to find many differences in the interior of Siber and Sebring, because they look different only in different trim levels. In addition, there are "gas" emblems, including those on the steering wheel.
On the left driver's door are the power window controls and other adjustments. The seats received good lateral support and head restraints. They are very comfortable to sit on, even the basic equipment has many electrical settings for the driver's seat.
Seat belts, of course, no one forgot. There is enough free space above the head. Between the driver and the passenger sitting next to him there is an opening armrest, in which you can also store the necessary things.
Volga Cyber photo rear sofa The rear row of seats can accommodate up to three adult passengers, with enough knee and headroom. There are also head restraints and seat belts. If two people are sitting, then a comfortable armrest can be pulled out of the back.
On the transmission tunnel there was a place for two cup holders. luggage compartment has never been flawed on the Volga, and Siber is no exception. The trunk turned out to be roomy and comfortable, with 453 liters of usable space.
Specifications
power unit
The specialists decided that only a couple of modifications would be enough, which differ only in the transmission. As a power unit, the presence of a four-cylinder sixteen-valve engine was provided, the working volume of which was 2.4 liters.
Volga Siber engine photo The motor allowed to reach 143 Horse power. This could not be called the limit, and he could not argue with the German "charged" sedans, but for a quiet ride on the Russian road it was quite enough.
It is also important that the engine was not carburetor, but already injection. The car gained the first hundred in 11.5 seconds, and its maximum speed was 200 km/h. Fuel consumption was not critical, but it was also impossible to call it minimal.
Transmission
It was either a four-stage automatic transmission gear shifting, or a five-speed manual.
Suspension
For improved movement on Russian roads, experts made tuning the suspension of the sedan, increasing the rigidity of the elastic elements, which could have a good effect on handling. Rear suspension turned out to be independent, however, like the front one. Springs are installed along with hydraulic shock absorbers.
Steering
It had a hydraulic booster, which made it possible to drive a rather big sedan without any difficulties.
Brake system
Already in the basic configuration Volga Siber had ABS system and was supplied with disk brake mechanisms on all wheels. Moreover, the front ones were also ventilated.
| Modifications | engine's type | Engine volume | Power | Transmission | Acceleration to 100 km / h, s. | Max speed km/h |
| GAZ Cyber 2.0 MT | Petrol | 1996 cm³ | 141 HP | Mechanics 5 tbsp. | 11.5 | 200 |
| GAZ Cyber 2.4 MT | Petrol | 2429 cm³ | 143 HP | Mechanics 4 tbsp. | 11.4 | 190 |
| GAZ Cyber 2.4 AT | Petrol | 2429 cm³ | 143 HP | Automatic 4 tbsp. | 13.4 | 185 |
Crash test Volga
Price and configuration
You can buy a solid sedan of "Russian-American" production at a price of 200,000 rubles. The higher the cost of the car, the newer it is, in the best content, which is important, because new sedans are no longer being produced. Also, the price tag may depend on the level of equipment.
Auto Volga Siber front view The standard "Comfort" package provides for the presence of an air conditioning system, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), traction control system ASR, hydraulic power steering, electric mirrors with a heating function (they can be folded using an electric drive), a CD receiver with speakers, an audio amplifier, central locking on all doors, a steering column with height adjustment and an electric drive for adjusting seats in six positions.
All configurations of Siber received a galvanized body, which has increased resistance to corrosion.
The dashboard, along with the steering wheel, has a pair of airbags - for the driver and the passenger sitting next to him. Sun visors received tinted mirrors with anti-reflective coating. There is also a full size spare wheel. It is easy to see that even the standard equipment has received a solid “stuffing”.
Photo Volga Siber
The "Lux" package already has genuine leather seats, dashboard with lacquered wood inserts, the function of heating the driver's seat and the passenger sitting next to him, cast wheel disks and tires with a radius of R16 (standard equipment has 15-inch), front foglights and an increased number of seat settings (10 directions). The sedan could be painted in 4 colors - the car could be black, silver, gold and dark blue.