This Is The All-New Lada Niva

Confusingly, Lada currently makes two different vehicles that could both be considered the Niva. One is the ‘4x4’, a continuation of the original, while the car that actually carries the Niva badge is a newer model based on the old car’s underpinnings.

The frame isn’t the only thing these two have in common, though - they’re also both very, very old. The 4x4 has been going for 44 years now, while the Niva (which was branded as the ‘Chevrolet Niva’ for a good chunk of its life) has been built since 1988. A properly new one is long overdue, then, and now we finally know when that’ll happen - 2024.

Renault-owned AvtoVAZ has teased the Niva Vision, a concept car which previews the production version. It takes on a much more boxy, utilitarian look than the 4x4 Vision (below), which Lada revealed at the Moscow Auto Show in 2018.

Details are thin on the ground right now. However, thanks to Renault‘s wide-ranging strategy announcement today - which included details of Alpine’s all-electric rebirth with the help of Lotus - we know it’ll be based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance CMF-B Platform.

The architecture is the basis of numerous cars including the Renault Clio and Nissan Juke, and will eventually be used for all Lada and Dacia products as the brands form a streamlined ‘business unit’. This will help the former launch four all-new models by 2025, including something for the C-SUV segment.