An agreement has been signed with the French concern Peugeot/Citroen on licensed assembly of the PSA EC8 engine. Production will be organized in a special economic zone located in Tolyatti.
This 1.8-liter gasoline unit is a fairly recent development. It is already used on Citroen Picasso and C4 Picasso, as well as on the first C5. Starting from March 2013, Peugeot 407 will also receive it. The power unit is well suited for an SUV: the engineers focused not on peak power (which is 135 hp), but on torque — the torque is 170 Nm.
As mentioned earlier, the launch of engine production will take place in the new workshops of the GM-AvtoVAZ plant. Therefore, installation on cars will begin no earlier than the end of 2015, presumably in December. At the same time, the management of the enterprise is considering the possibility of producing a pickup and a minivan based on the Chevrolet Niva.
The production capabilities of the new workshops allow assembling up to 120 thousand cars annually — provided there is sufficient demand.
