AvtoVAZ, together with the Togliatti company ATS (Alternative Fuel Systems), has prepared a factory methane version with a different filling. The demonstration unit was the Vesta Cross cross-wagon in the top Techno configuration with a 1.8 engine and a CVT. It was not possible to “import-substitute” gas equipment, but it is expected that the CNG version will rise in price moderately: by 60 thousand rubles.
Before restyling, the dual-fuel Lada Vesta CNG was produced mainly in the form of a sedan in modest configurations: in a taxi this combination is optimal. At Comtrans-24 they showed that cylinders can also be added to a cross-station wagon: 90-liter containers took up space in the trunk, displacing the spare wheel. According to ATS estimates, the power reserve on methane will be up to 250 kilometers, and a 55-liter gas tank is also retained.
Lada Vesta with stabilization system Promising Lada crossover based on Vesta: new photos AvtoVAZ reduced Vesta production by 25% due to falling demand
The serial Vesta CNG should have Chinese gas cylinders, but the equipment will continue to use Italian equipment: an analogue from China has not yet been found. The production of dual-fuel vehicles is planned to begin in the first quarter of 2025, and AvtoVAZ’s plan involves the sale of 1,500 vehicles with factory-installed gas equipment. At current prices, a basic bi-fuel sedan with a manual transmission could cost about 1.6 million rubles, and a demo model with a CVT would cost 2.25 million rubles.
According to AvtoVAZ estimates, switching to methane will reduce fuel costs relative to the purely gasoline version of Vesta by more than three times, and the total autonomy will be more than 1,000 kilometers. The setting is standard: the car starts on gasoline, and after warming up it automatically switches to gas fuel. The return of the Lada Largus CNG is planned for 2025.
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