Automobile plant AZLK: history of creation, production and interesting facts
Cars of the brand "Moskvich" continue to drive byroads of the entire former USSR, while the plant AZLK has long since officially ceased operations. The Moscow Automobile Plant named after the Lenin Komsomol produced several lines of automotive equipment, which became legendary. The prospects for small-car domestic cars were promising, but, unfortunately, the economic situation was not in favor of the car industry.
The story began with "Ford"
The history of the AZLK plant started with the idea and largeplans. The decision to build an automobile enterprise was made in 1925, and a place was quickly found for the future giant. The initial planned capacity of the enterprise provided for the release of 10,000 units of cars per month. Before the construction was started, an agreement was signed with the Ford company on technical consultations and deliveries for four years of 74,000 sets of assemblies for assembling in the USSR. The construction of the first buildings of the plant began in the summer of 1929, and by the winter construction was declared a shock.
The main factory building was introduced inoperation in November 1930. At the same time the car factory received the first name: "State Automobile Assembly Plant named after KIM". Mysterious for contemporaries, the abbreviation "KIM" stands for "Communist International of Youth". The production cycle of the enterprise consisted of assembling cars, assembling body parts, painting, riveting frames and an envelope. In addition to the main activity, until 1933 the task of production included car repairs (medium, capital). In 1932 the plant AZLK mastered the production of engines for agricultural machinery (combines).
Gorky branch
In 1932 the Automobile Assembly Plant named after. KIM established the production of GAZ-AA trucks, the parts were supplied by the Gorky Automobile Plant. In the total annual output, freight transport accounted for 30% of all products. Under the patronage of GAZ, the AZLK plant was transferred as a branch in 1933. The production capacities were completely transferred to the production of GAZ-AA trucks, combine engines. Components for the shops of the Auto Assembly Plant. CMM was supplied by domestic producers.
The growth of the state order requiredincrease the capacity of conveyor assembly to 60,000 cars per year. Also in the production plans was the release of new equipment: a modernized model of GAZ-AA, popularly known as "polutorka", and the first passenger car M-1. To implement the tasks in the period from 1935 to 1937, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out. Production plans were adjusted, and the assembly of cars in the Moscow branch of GAZ refused.
The first mini-cars KIM
In 1939, the AZLK plant became independentproduction enterprise, where a large-scale reconstruction is carried out with the aim of changing the capacities for the production of small cars. Initially, it was planned to produce 50,000 units of machines a year. To ensure the activity at the enterprise, a design and experimental workshop was created.
The first light-weight compact car KIM-10-50 left withassembly line in April 1940. The first cars took part in the May Day demonstration. In addition to the production of new cars, in early 1941, the plant installed additional lines and mastered the production of gearboxes for heavy motorcycle equipment.
Years of War
Since July 1941, production has completely changedto produce military products. The first order was the production of shells for the legendary Katyusha. The advance of German troops to the capital forced the Soviet leadership to evacuate most strategic enterprises. Plant AZLK in October 1941 was moved to the city of Sverdlovsk, where it was connected with a tank factory. On the basis of the association, the production of tank equipment, shells for aviation batteries was started.
The final merger of Tank Plant No. 37 andCar Assembly Plant them. KIM occurred in 1942. The new enterprise was named "Plant No. 50", the specialization was the production of gearboxes for tanks. In the remaining Moscow corps of the plant, tank engines were repaired from the front. The liquidation of the plant began in 1943 and lasted until 1944.
Meanwhile, the Allies began to supply carscars on the lendliza program, and they required repairs. On the basis of a canned Moscow plant, it was decided to open a car parts factory, where it was required to master the production of 83 types of spare parts for foreign cars - Studebaker, Dodjam and others. With this task the plant successfully managed until the end of the war.
Triumphant revival
In May 1945, immediately after the end of the war,The Soviet government revives the idea of producing small cars under the brand name "Moskvich". To achieve the goals, the Moscow plant of small cars is being built. The prototype of the first passenger cars is "Opel-Cadet K-38". The first passenger subcompacts were produced on German equipment imported into the country under a reparation contract. Mass production of Soviet cars began with the model "Moskvich-400" in 1947. In 1959, the M-444 car was designed in the design office of the plant on the basis of the prototype "Fiat-600". Under the name "Zaporozhets" it began to be produced at the Zaporozhye Automobile Plant.
In 1962, the plant AZLK began production of passenger carscar model M-407, and in 1964, was launched into a mass production car M-408 with a body type sedan. The sixties of the last century for MZMA were full of accomplishments, victories and new plans. In 1966, the jubilee 100th "Moskvich" model M-408 came off the assembly line of the car factory. At the same time, the AZLK plant was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for its successful work in innovation and early implementation of plans. At the same time, a plan was adopted on the next reconstruction of the plant's facilities, aimed at expanding production and increasing the production of cars to two hundred thousand cars a year.
In 1967, the company wasproduction of a new model of the car model M-412, and a little later, in the same year, from the gate of the car factory went a million "Moskvich". Simultaneously with the increase in production, engineers of the plant began to work on improving the level of vehicle safety, and tests were carried out on the strength (crash tests). For the fruitful work of the plant team was awarded the Memorable Red Banner.
In 1968, as part of the expansion of productionshops a new complex was laid in the area of Tekstilchshchikov, and on October 25 of the same year the Moscow plant of small cars received a new name: the plant AZLK (Moscow).
Racing Rally
For the first time in a car phone "Moskvich"took part in 1968. Riders drove 16,000 kilometers along the London-Sydney route on the M-412 car and won the fourth place in the team event. The rating of the domestic car industry has grown dramatically, and the popularity of cars that the plant "Moskvich" AZLK produced, has acquired scope, which was expressed in the increased volume of exports.
The following competitions, held in 1970, ondifficulties were more severe, and the total length of the route London - Mexico City was 26 thousand kilometers. The team of the car factory drivers took three places at once in the team event: the second, third and fourth. The November competitions of the same year brought the plant a bright success: the Belgian crew at the Moskvich M-412 took the highest step of the pedestal in the rally "Tour de Belzik".
Russian drivers AZLK team received the firstplace in 1971 for passing the track in the rally "Tour de Europe" and won the Gold Cup. In 1973, in the car of the international class "Safari-73", held in West Africa, the factory team performed on three M-412 cars and won first place. A new victory with the conquest of the gold and silver cups was received in October 1974 for the passage of the "Tour Europe-74" route with a length of 15 thousand kilometers.
Difficulties in the planned economy
The seventies were the heyday of the plant. In August 1974, the company produced a two millionth car. Exports of cars were carried out in more than seventy countries of the world, which accounted for a large part of the total gross product. The beginning of export deliveries began in 1948, and in 1977 a millionth copy was sent to non-CIS countries.
During the same period in the design department AZLKwere developed prototypes of a completely new model of small cars. But the planned mechanisms of economic management in the USSR were too clumsy in decisions, and obsolete models of technology fell on the production stream. This significantly reduced the competition, the export of cars fell to 20 thousand per year by the beginning of the eighties. In the domestic market, demand also fell.
The situation began to change for the better only tomid-80's. Steps were taken to improve the quality, which significantly reduced claims for the released M-2140. The plant was modernized, and in 1986 the model of the new M-2141 model was launched.
In 1987, AZLK together with AvtoVAZ launchedto the development of the domestic engine of the petrol and diesel configuration with a working volume of the engine of 1.8-1.9 liters. To finalize the technical perfection of the engine, a contract was signed to work together with the British company Ricardo. But the work was not realized in full in connection with the collapse of the USSR. All payments on the loan received under the contract were placed on the AZLK balance.
Closing of the enterprise
The first wave of the crisis of the early 90's caught AZLKfull of prospects and achievements. Plans were made to introduce modifications of the models of the Moskvichs M-2143, M-2141, M-2336 into production. But all this was not destined to be fulfilled because of a lack of funding. Produced "Muscovites" of the basic model M-2141, and miraculously managed to launch mass production of a car type pick-up M-2335. For the export of Western European countries in the nineties, a batch of M-2141-135 cars was produced.
Since the early nineties, the production of carsconstantly declining, in 1996 the production lines were idle. 1997 seemed to breathe life into the plant, the support of the Moscow government was received, a program for optimization and development of production was developed, a decision was made to complete the cars with Renault engines. Until the end of 1997, batch of modification cars of models M-2141 "Yuri Dolgoruky" and M-214241 "Prince Vladimir" and several others were produced. In the first half of 1998, the plant ceased to be unprofitable.
But the default, which occurred in August 1998,drove the company into losses, completely depriving the working capital. In 2001, the plant produced only 0.81 thousand cars, it was actually a stop of activity. More AZLK plant did not resume work. But the territory where the legendary company was located is still associated with the name of the AZLK enterprise: the address of the plant is Moscow, Volgogradsky Prospekt, 40. Officially, the enterprise was liquidated in 2010.
The lineup
For the entire period of its history, the enterprise had several names that served as car names. The chronology of the issue and the lineup of the auto plant AZLK:
- 1930-1940: "Ford" series A (sedan), truck "Ford" series AA, cargo GAZ series AA and GAZ-A sedan. Models KIM: saloons KIM-10-50 and KIM - 10-52, cabriolet KIM-10-51.
- 1947-1956: sedans M -400-420, M-401-420, van M-400-422, cabriolet M-400-420A.
- 1956-1965: sedan M-420, M-407, M-403, all-wheel drive sedan M-410 and M-410N. Station wagon: М-423, М-423Н, М-424, all-wheel drive station wagon М-411.
- 1964 -1988 gg. Sedan: M-408, M-412, M-2138, M-2140, M-2140-117. The wagon: М-426, М-427, М-2136, М-2137. Pick-up: M-2315. Wagon: M-433, M-434, M-2733, M-2734.
- 1986-2001. Hatchback: M-2141, M-2141-02 "Svyatogor", M-2141-R5 "Yuri Dolgoruky". Sedan: M-2142, M-2142-02 "Svyatogor", M-2142-R5 "Prince Vladimir", M-2142-S "Ivan Kalita." Van: M-2901, M 2901-02 Svyatogor. Pick-up: M-2335, M-2335-02 "Svyatogor". Coupe: M-2142-SO "Duet".
Our days
The former AZLK plant is being actively developed today. Since 2017, local municipalities have the right to develop industrial zones on their own initiative. Today, in several buildings of the plant, nothing resembles the giant automotive industry. Now there are noisy small production of LEDs, chips, building materials. The company plans to build office, retail and residential buildings in the areas of the company that are part of the third transportation ring.
And yet the territory of the plant AZLK still hears a rumbleassembly car workshops. In the main shop they collect cars under the brand name "Renault". In 2015, from the Renault Russia plant, the Patent Office of Russia received an application for the historical emblems of the AZLK plant, possibly an attempt to revive the legendary models of cars in modern interpretation. The owner of the trademark "Moskvich" now and until 2021 is the concern "Volkswagen".
The reconstruction of the entirethe territory of the plant, and if there is a desire to consider the former giant, to move back into the past or build new plans, it is worth to visit the place where domestic mini-cars were born - the plant AZLK (Moscow). Its address is simple: Volgogradsky prospect, buildings 40-42.
