Courtesy: Ukrainian hygienic certification services
The Automotive industry in Ukraine was established during the Soviet times and until fall of the Soviet Union was an integral part of automotive industry of the Soviet Union. The first Ukraine-based motor vehicle brands were established in the late 1950s.
Ukrainian SSR was the only Soviet republic other than Russia manufacturing various types of automobiles and automotive parts with a former annual output of more than 200 thousand units.
Before agreement with the EU, Ukraine’s automobile manufacturers made between 100 and 200 thousand vehicles per year. The major domestic players in this industry were UkrAvto (ZAZ), Bogdan, Eurocar, Electron corporation, Etalon-Avto, KrAZ and LAZ. Locally developed designs continue to prevail in the production of trucks, buses and trolleybuses while production of domestically designed cars such as ZAZ Tavria has decreased. Most car production in Ukraine now involves assembly of European, Korean and Chinese brands.
In April 2018 the Ukrainian carmakers association Ukrautoprom stated that the automotive industry in Ukraine worked at only 2% of their capacity, while the output of motor vehicles was nearly 98% less than that in March 2008.
Ukrainian SSR was second Soviet republic with annual production at more than 200,000 units per year.
By the early 1980s, Soviet automobile industry consisted of several main plants, which produced vehicles for various market segments.
Main factories in Ukrainian SSR were ZAZ (passenger cars), LuAZ (small off-road vehicles), LAZ (buses) and KrAZ (trucks).
ZAZ factory was founded in 1923. The first ZAZ-965 Zaporozhets entered production 25 October 1960.
ZAZ Zaporozhets was a series of rear-wheel-drive superminis (city cars in their first generation) designed and built from 1958 at the ZAZ factory in Soviet Ukraine. Different models of the Zaporozhets, all of which had an air-cooled engine in the rear, were produced until 1994. Since the late 1980s, the final series, 968M, was replaced by the cardinally different ZAZ-1102 Tavria hatchback, which featured a front-wheel drive and a more powerful water-cooled engine.
In 1985 ZAZ manufactured 160 000 cars.
KrAZ was founded on August 31, 1945. In 1958 first KrAZ-222 Dnipro was manufactured.
KrAZ-255 is an off-road truck 6×6 for extreme operations.
Variants include:
- KrAZ-255B
- KrAZ-255B1
- KrAZ-255V
- KrAZ-255L
- KrAZ-256
In 1986 KrAZ manufactured 30 655 trucks.
LAZ was founded on May 21, 1945. In 1956 factory started mass production of LAZ-695 Lviv.
LAZ-695 Lviv — Soviet and Ukrainian middle class city bus produced by LAZ.
LAZ-695 was the first bus produced at Lviv Bus Factory in 1945. In 1949 the factory started to produce automobile wagons, trailers, auto-cranes and (experimental release) electromobiles. The initiative to develop and produce a new model of bus was supported by the government, and European samples of modern buses were brought to the LAZ factory. The models brought included Magirus, Neoplan, and Mercedes. The first bus engineered by Lviv Bus Factory was done in the year of 1955. The bus model underwent various modifications, but the major body composition and equipment remained the same. The most significant change from the first generation to the second (695/695Б/695Е/695Zh) was the front and rear modification.
The rear changes to the second generation 695M added a turbine air intake system with two vents in the roof, and the third generation 695Н/695НГ/695Д modernized the front end. Other variations between the generations include aesthetical changes, such as manufacturing emblems and headlight placement. The model was not faultless, (tight passenger space and frequent engine overheating in 2nd and 3rd generation models), the bus was characterized by simple construction and easy accessibility to all types of roads in Russia and CIS.
In 1988 LAZ manufactured 14 646 buses.
LuAZ was founded as Lutsk Repair Plant on September 25, 1955. First LuAZ-967 was manufactured in 1961.
LuAZ-967 was the Transporter of the Front Line, a small Soviet four-wheel drive amphibious vehicle. Light enough to be air transportable, it had a 400 kg payload over most terrain.
It was produced between 1961 and 1975 and was succeeded by the LuAZ-969В, LuAZ-969, LuAZ-969М and the LuAZ-1302.
In 1990 LuAZ manufactured 16 500 off-road vehicles.
The Ukrainian carmakers association Ukrautoprom stated in April 2018 that the automotive industry in Ukraine worked at only 2% of their capacity and that the output of motor vehicles was nearly 98% less than in March 2008.