Much like the recently updated Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series, the Lada Niva refuses to die. Despite being around since 1977, the spartan off-roader is still being made and is even getting an update for 2024. AvtoVAZ is bringing back anti-lock brakes after having to temporarily discontinue ABS following sanctions against Russia. Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine had massive repercussions on the supply chain, forcing a production pause for several months.
When assembly resumed in mid-2022, the Niva did away with airbags, ABS, and other essential features cars have had for many decades. Now, anti-lock brakes are back for 2024 for both the classic Niva Legend and the Niva Travel. In case you’re unfamiliar with the latter, it has been around since 1998 as the VAZ-2123 before being rebadged the Chevrolet Niva in 2003. When the GM-AvtoVAZ collaboration ended in 2020, the no-frills SUV was rebranded as the Niva Travel.
The brief press release published by AvtoVAZ also mentions that the Niva also gets an updated engine that now meets Euro 5 regulations. The standard has been around since 2009, so it’s immensely outdated. Lest we forget Euro 6 was implemented in 2014, with Euro 7 to follow around 2025. When production resumed last year and up until now, the go-anywhere Lada was powered by an engine that met the Euro 2 standard, which was introduced in 1996.
Go for a high-end trim level of the Niva Travel and you’ll get a lada goodies: cruise control (with speed limiter), a trip computer, a fully backlit instrument cluster, and two-tone alloy wheels. ESP is also returning later this month, according to Russian magazine Auto Pro News. Production of both models with the 2024MY updates has already commenced.
As one would expect, the asking price sees a significant increase. Previously, the Lada Niva Legend started at 829 900 rubles ($9,140 at current exchange rates) but the cheapest one is now 927,500 rubles ($10,200). The more modern Niva Travel used to be 1,198,900 rubles ($13,200) and it now kicks off at 1,215,000 rubles ($13,400).
AvtoVAZ intended to launch an all-new Niva in collaboration with Renault. It unveiled a concept car back in 2018 but the future looks uncertain considering Renault sold its stake in AvtoVAZ in May 2022.
