Let There Be Light: A Report from the Launch of Lighting Production for the Lada Azimut in Tolyatti

Recently, news from Tolyatti has been arriving with commendable regularity. No sooner had we reported on the debut of a new generation of engines and the start of mass production of the significantly updated Niva Legend, than we had to fly back to the home of AVTOVAZ. This time, the occasion was the grand opening of a new production line for optics for the upcoming Lada Azimut crossover.

Let us note straight away that the new production facility does not belong directly to AVTOVAZ, as the modern automotive industry inevitably involves collaboration with hundreds of suppliers and various subcontractors. The task of manufacturing the lighting for the Azimut has been taken on by the company 'Lighting Solutions', founded in September 2023 and located within the special economic zone 'Tolyatti'. To date, the firm has mastered assembly, the moulding of plastic parts, and the production of modern LED lighting.

The company supplies headlamps and rear lights for models such as the Granta, Niva Travel and Largus, as well as fog lamps for the Granta, Largus and Iskra, to the assembly lines of the Tolyatti car plant. However, producing modern optics for the new Azimut crossover required a kind of technological leap: the company became the first in Russia to master three-component moulding of large-sized parts.

1.9 billion roubles were invested in the new technological lines, and the total investment in the project has exceeded 3.5 billion roubles. The work was carried out, of course, in cooperation with AVTOVAZ, as well as with the support of the Samara Region government and the Industrial Development Fund.

The key component of the new line is a modern, high-power injection moulding machine – an automated injection moulding machine used for manufacturing parts from thermoplastics by injection moulding. This machine is truly impressive: it provides a clamping force of 2,800 tonnes, allowing the production of a single-piece rear light with complex geometry, the length of a tailgate – that is, almost the width of the car. Equally impressive is the multi-tonne mould – the heart of the injection moulding machine, where the final product is actually formed.

The significance of the new production facility for the plant was emphasised by AVTOVAZ President Maxim Sokolov: 'I am confident that this project will become one of the jewels in the crown of our product range.' And then came the main event: Giorgio Verducci, Maxim Sokolov and the head of the Tolyatti administration, Ilya Sukhikh, simultaneously pressed the buttons, the machine started working, and after a while, the first central rear light for the Azimut crossover appeared on the output conveyor belt.

However, the Azimut's lighting is not just a new rear light, but a whole range of high-tech components. For instance, the crossover's headlamps are equipped with fully LED Lada Xvision elements, which feature a patented cooling system in their design. This is necessary for the stable operation of the diodes, preventing overheating and maintaining light brightness in various climatic conditions.

Overall, 'Lighting Solutions' is fully prepared to produce a complete set of lighting for AVTOVAZ's new model – this includes headlamps and daytime running light sections, as well as the central, side and fog lights. The enterprise's capacity is designed to produce up to 80,000 sets of optics per year, which means that all the Tolyatti automotive giant's needs for lighting for the Lada Azimut will be fully met.

It is heartening that the company does not intend to rest on its laurels – thoughtful work is already underway to expand the product range. Time will tell how successful the Azimut itself will be, but it is pleasing that its light is being ignited here, in Russia. After all, the development of the automotive industry is measured not only by the number of cars produced, but also by the number of technologies that the country has learned to create independently.