Is Lada Stepping Into the Turbo Era? Or Not?

At the 2024 results press conference, AvtoVAZ CEO Maksim Sokolov shared his vision for the future of Lada turbo engines—or at least tried to, offering cryptic hints worthy of a closely guarded recipe. His statement was something along the lines of: "We have plans, big plans, very big plans, but you won’t see them just yet," leaving journalists puzzled. It seems the company is developing a turbo engine with the same caution as someone grilling for the first time—worried it’ll either end up undercooked or burnt to a crisp.

The twists didn’t end there. It turns out the foundation for the turbo engine might be the 1.4-liter VAZ-11194, which had been gathering dust in Togliatti until 2013. It’s a bit like a jar of grandma’s old jam in the cellar—do you open it and enjoy it, or throw it out immediately?

Oleg Grunenkov, the head of product development, previously admitted that there isn’t much consumer demand for turbo engines in the market. His grand alternative? “We’ll simply observe the market!” But if there’s no demand, does that mean the turbo engine will forever remain a legend?

All jokes aside, the larger and heavier Vesta-based SUVs and MPVs in development will likely require something with enough grunt to handle steep inclines gracefully. A turbo engine here would be as essential and practical as a winter suit in Siberia. However, AvtoVAZ is doubling down on its naturally aspirated engines, giving them more muscle: the 1.6-liter engine will deliver 122 horsepower, while the 1.8-liter will roar with an impressive 135 horsepower.

In a nod to global collaboration, AvtoVAZ also announced plans to adopt a six-speed manual gearbox sourced from China’s WLY. “Our five-speed gearbox has served us well, but all good things must come to an end,” Sokolov quipped. The first model to feature this new transmission will be the Lada Vesta NG, debuting on January 27.

To date, the only vehicle officially bearing the turbo name from AvtoVAZ was the Lada Peter Turbo concept car, showcased at the 2000 Paris Motor Show. Ironically, it was a motorless mock-up. The only real turbocharged Lada came courtesy of Finnish importer Konela, which added a turbo to the Lada 2107 between 1984 and 1986. Beyond a few rare examples, Lada’s ventures into turbo territory have been sparse.