Log in Sign up
Back to Discover
💻

GAZ

technology Maturity 7-9

GAZ is a big place that makes cars.

GAZelle flags, Astana, Kazakhstan.jpg
GAZelle flags, Astana, Kazakhstan.jpg
It is in a city in Russia. They make trucks and cars for people. They have made many vehicles for a long time.
GAZ GAZon Next flatbed truck (cropped).jpg
GAZ GAZon Next flatbed truck (cropped).jpg
It is a very busy factory. Do you like cars?

51 words

GAZ is a big factory in Russia.

Gorky Automobile Plant. Main entrance. 09-2019 01.jpg
Gorky Automobile Plant. Main entrance. 09-2019 01.jpg
It started a long time ago. In 1932, it made its first cars.
GAZ-14 Tschaika Potsdam 2013 (cropped).JPG
GAZ-14 Tschaika Potsdam 2013 (cropped).JPG
One car had a deer on the front. The factory makes many kinds of vehicles. It makes trucks and cars for people.
GAZ GAZon Next flatbed truck (cropped).jpg
GAZ GAZon Next flatbed truck (cropped).jpg
It has made ten million vehicles! The factory is still very busy today.

73 words

GAZ is a large car maker in Russia.

Gorky Automobile Plant. Main entrance. 09-2019 01.jpg
Gorky Automobile Plant. Main entrance. 09-2019 01.jpg
It began in 1932. The factory started after an agreement with the Ford Motor Company.
GAZ-14 Tschaika Potsdam 2013 (cropped).JPG
GAZ-14 Tschaika Potsdam 2013 (cropped).JPG
The first cars were based on Ford models. In 1933, the factory got its name. It was named after the city of Gorky.

During the war, the factory made armored cars. These are tough vehicles used by the military.

GAZ GAZon Next flatbed truck (cropped).jpg
GAZ GAZon Next flatbed truck (cropped).jpg
After the war, GAZ made the Pobeda. This name means "Victory" in Russian. It was the first Soviet car with electric windshield wipers. The factory also made the Volga. This car became a famous symbol.

GAZ has made ten million vehicles in total. Today, the company works with many other brands. They help build cars for Volkswagen and General Motors. They also work with brands like Škoda. In the future, they want to make engines that run on hydrogen. This is a new type of power for engines.

168 words

GAZ is a large car maker located in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

Gorky Automobile Plant. Main entrance. 09-2019 01.jpg
Gorky Automobile Plant. Main entrance. 09-2019 01.jpg
It is a very important part of the GAZ Group Holding. This company helps build many different types of vehicles. Some of these vehicles are for families to drive. Other vehicles are tough machines used by the military.
GAZ GAZon Next flatbed truck (cropped).jpg
GAZ GAZon Next flatbed truck (cropped).jpg
The factory has been working for a very long time. It has even built ten million vehicles in total.

The way the factory works has changed over many years. In the beginning, it used help from the Ford Motor Company.

GAZ-14 Tschaika Potsdam 2013 (cropped).JPG
GAZ-14 Tschaika Potsdam 2013 (cropped).JPG
They used parts and technical help to build their first models. Later, the factory began to make its own new designs. One famous car was the Pobeda, which means "Victory." It was special because it had electric windshield wipers. Most other cars back then used mechanical or vacuum tools. This made driving much easier during bad weather.

History shows how the factory grew since 1932. The Soviet Union signed a deal with Ford in 1929. They agreed to buy $13 million in cars and parts. This deal helped build a huge plant in Nizhny Novgorod. At first, the plant had a much longer name. It was named after a leader named V. M. Molotov. In 1933, the name changed to GAZ. This happened when the city was renamed after Maxim Gorky.

There are many interesting facts about the cars they made. The GAZ-21 Volga became a famous symbol of its time. It even had a radio and seats that folded flat.

Volga Siber front Moscow autoshow 2008 26 08.jpg
Volga Siber front Moscow autoshow 2008 26 08.jpg
Some cars were very fast and could go over 170 km/h. The factory also made many armored cars for the military. One model, the BA-64, had over 9,000 units built. These were used for scouting during the war years.

Today, GAZ works in many ways with other big brands. They do not just make their own cars anymore. They use their factory to help build cars for Volkswagen. They also work with General Motors to assemble vehicles.

GAZelle flags, Astana, Kazakhstan.jpg
GAZelle flags, Astana, Kazakhstan.jpg
They even have agreements to help build Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Looking forward, they want to try something very new. They are working on engines that run on hydrogen. This could change how cars use energy in the future.

394 words

GAZ, or Gorkovsky avtomobilny zavod, is a major Russian automotive manufacturer. It is located in the city of Nizhny Novgorod.

Gorky Automobile Plant. Main entrance. 09-2019 01.jpg
Gorky Automobile Plant. Main entrance. 09-2019 01.jpg
The company serves as the core subsidiary of the GAZ Group Holding. This holding is part of the larger Basic Element industrial group. Today, the company is a key player in the global automotive industry. It produces many different types of vehicles for various needs. These range from light commercial vehicles to heavy-duty trucks and military machines.

The history of GAZ began with an international partnership. In May 1929, the Soviet Union signed an agreement with the American Ford Motor Company. The Soviets agreed to purchase $13 million worth of automobiles and parts. In exchange, Ford provided technical assistance until 1938. This help was used to build an integrated manufacturing plant in Nizhny Novgorod. Production officially started on January 1, 1932. At that time, the factory was known as the Nizhny Novgorod Automobile Plant, or NAZ. It was named after the Soviet minister Vyacheslav Molotov.

As the factory grew, its name and models changed. In 1933, the city was renamed after Maxim Gorky. Consequently, the plant became known as GAZ. The first vehicles produced were the GAZ-AA truck and the GAZ-A passenger car. These were based on the Ford Model AA and Ford Model A. Later, the GAZ-A was replaced by the GAZ-M1. This model was produced from 1936 to 1942. The "M" in its name stood for Molotovets, which means "of Molotov's fame."

GAZ-14 Tschaika Potsdam 2013 (cropped).JPG
GAZ-14 Tschaika Potsdam 2013 (cropped).JPG

During World War II, GAZ played a vital role in military production. The factory assembled Chevrolet G7107 and G7117 models from parts shipped from the US. These were sent under the Lend Lease program. GAZ also manufactured several types of armored vehicles. One example was the BA-64, a light armored reconnaissance car. This model was based on the GAZ-64 jeep and used a 7.62 mm DT machine gun. Between 1942 and 1946, over 9,000 units of the BA-64 were built. Other models included the heavy BA-6 and the powerful six-wheeled BA-3.

The postwar period saw the creation of iconic civilian vehicles. In 1946, GAZ began producing the GAZ-M20 Pobeda, or "Victory." This was a streamlined sedan that was very affordable. It was notable for being the first Soviet car to use electric windshield wipers. Later, the GAZ-21 Volga became a major symbol of the Soviet era. It launched in 1956 and offered many modern features. For example, it came standard with a radio and a cigarette lighter. Some versions even had automatic transmissions and power steering.

Volga Siber front Moscow autoshow 2008 26 08.jpg
Volga Siber front Moscow autoshow 2008 26 08.jpg

GAZ has experienced significant corporate changes in recent decades. In November 2000, the company was acquired in a hostile takeover by SibAl. By 2003, the company decided that making passenger cars was no longer its main priority. In 2006, GAZ attempted to acquire the English van maker LDV. While they planned to market the MAXUS van in Europe and Asia, a recession halted production at the LDV plant. The plant was eventually sold to a Chinese company in 2009. Despite these shifts, the factory has remained a massive industrial hub. It produced its ten millionth vehicle in March 1981.

GAZelle flags, Astana, Kazakhstan.jpg
GAZelle flags, Astana, Kazakhstan.jpg

Today, GAZ operates through many international contract manufacturing agreements. The facility in Nizhny Novgorod is used to build vehicles for several global brands. For instance, the plant uses assembly lines from Chrysler to manufacture vehicles. It also works with Volkswagen Group Rus. This agreement involves an investment of €200 million. Through this partnership, the plant produces models like the Škoda Yeti and the Volkswagen Jetta. The peak production volume for these models is planned to reach about 110,000 vehicles.

Looking toward the future, GAZ is exploring new energy technologies. In November 2021, the GAZ Group announced a new goal for its division, Silovye Agregaty. The division plans to begin mass production of hydrogen engines. This development follows years of adapting to global economic changes. The company continues to evolve from a local manufacturer into a complex global partner. Whether building commercial GAZelle vans or high-tech engines, the factory remains a central part of the automotive world.

704 words
🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Gorky Automobile Plant. Main entrance. 09-2019 01.jpg
Gorky Automobile Plant. Main entrance....
File:GAZelle flags, Astana, Kazakhstan.jpg
GAZelle flags, Astana, Kazakhstan.jpg
File:GAZ-14 Tschaika Potsdam 2013 (cropped).JPG
GAZ-14 Tschaika Potsdam 2013 (cropped).JPG
File:Volga Siber front Moscow autoshow 2008 26 08.jpg
Volga Siber front Moscow autoshow 2008 26 08.jpg
File:GAZ GAZon Next flatbed truck (cropped).jpg
GAZ GAZon Next flatbed truck (cropped).jpg
Up Next
💻
Gazelle
Technology
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.